Naruto: Whirlpool Chronicles
by Redrover117
Summary: Following the events of chapter 310 Naruto is exiled but before its made official he escapes the village intent on unraveling the secrets and mysteries that have plagued him for so long. Now he only has one mission: to fulfil Jiraiya's only request.NU/YN
1. The Path Not Taken

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter1: The Path Not Taken

**Fire Country: Konoha / Naruto's Apartment**

It had been two days since the mission…his team had failed. They had gotten Intel from a now deceased Akatsuki member called Sasori about an informant he was supposed to be meeting with at the Heaven and Earth Bridge…Kabuto turned out to be working with Orochimaru. The two groups had fought: Team Yamato against Orochimaru and Kabuto…or should I say him against Orochimaru. He had lost control; it was just for a second but that was all the greatest of demons, Kyuubi no Kitsune needed.

He had hurt his friend, Sakura with nothing more than a swipe of a crimson tail.

She had forgiven him; after all he didn't have control over himself when wielding the Kyuubi's chakra beyond three tails of power. When the battle was over Orochimaru and Kabuto fled with Team Yamato in pursuit. They tracked them to a Oto base and had tried to find their old friend Sasuke…after the three long years of separation between them they had finally found him but the moment he realised who they were he tried to kill them all.

That's when it happened, it was odd but Sasuke had managed to enter his mindscape and was literally standing in the chamber where the Kyuubi's cell was located and forcefully suppressed the demon within. Before this however the Kyuubi had spoke to him, comparing his Sharingan eyes to that of a man named Uchiha Madara.

After Sasuke, Orochimaru and Kabuto had left both Sakura and Naruto had broken down seeing what their old friend had turned into. Now that he was home however his mind kept on wondering back to that one single name that the Kyuubi had uttered. How would the Kyuubi even know the name of an Uchiha? There was also that nagging voice at the back of his mind telling him that he had heard the name somewhere before and it wasn't Kyuubi.

His blue eyes flashed with recognition; if he was an Uchiha then he had to have been a citizen of Konoha and as such would be listed in the village archives in the library. Slapping his jumpsuit on he dashed out of the door not caring about anything other than finding some answers to the questions he had. He entered the library not even noticing that the librarian who had always turned him away three years ago let him go in.

He walked along the isles looking for the 'U' section…it was surprisingly small. He traced his fingers from book to book looking for the name Madara and that's when he found…it wasn't a biography; it was a history book detailing the Shodai Hokage's reign from start to finish. What got his attention though was the image of both Madara and the Shodai on the cover facing one another like they were opposites.

He took the book over to one of the empty tables before he opened it and began to read. He thought the book was amazing; now he knew where he heard that name before which was pretty obvious to him since it was a part for the Academy Written Exam. But some things in this book weren't in the academy textbooks; with each passing page he was getting closer to finding out the answer to his question.

He turned the next page turned and nearly fell out of his chair in shock.

Printed on the page was a very illustrated picture; Uchiha Madara standing atop the head of Kyuubi no Kitsune while they both were trying to kill the Shodai Hokage and thus creating a rather large valley. He remembered where he had seen it, the valley where two statues now stood as a monument to that battle.

The Valley of the End…

According to the book Madara had summoned Kyuubi to help him kill Senju Hashirama at the place now known as the Valley of the End. He couldn't grasp the idea as to wanting to _summon_ a demon to kill someone, it would be like making a deal with the devil or in this case a demon. It made no sense and yet he was looking at proof of such a thing.

'_Why?'_

He kept asking the question...

Not getting an answer the blond stood and put the book back knowing he had an answer to his first question, _'but this has given me another question that I need an answer too…why did you attack Konoha, Kyuubi?'_ Uzumaki Naruto knew no matter how much he hated the fox; he knew that the Kyuubi was sentient and didn't do anything without reason…but what were his reasons…

**Fire Country: Konoha / Hospital**

Hatake Kakashi leaned back on his hospital bed with his one normal eye open reading a small orange book. Suddenly he heard the door click signifying someone had entered…three someones. The three stood in front of his bed and he looked up at them not lowering his book.

"I heard about your last mission…and about Sasuke too," the copy-nin said slowly in a saddened voice seeing both Naruto's and Sakura's faces drop.

"We can't bring him back as he is now; we're simply not strong enough," Naruto hated to admit it but he knew it was true.

Kakashi nodded, "then you'll just have to become stronger, faster".

"Yeah, but how?" Sakura was the one who asked.

Kakashi smiled under his mask, "do you think I've just been sitting in here reading? I've been planning your next move from the moment Yamato told me". He shifted his gaze over to Naruto, "in all honesty you're the only one who can do this; after all the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu does download its memories into the user when dispelled". The three looked at him surprised and he chuckled, "in the right hands it is the ultimate training tool even compared to Sharingan though it is impractical because of the chakra requirements".

"But I don't have that problem because of Kyuubi," Naruto gulped slightly. "Then why didn't Ero-Sennin tell me about that little trick?"

"The human mind isn't evolved enough to handle so much information at once before the age of fifteen; that's why Jiraiya-sama never told you about it. It is a Kinjutsu for a reason," Kakashi explained. He then looked directly at the blond and asked, "what do you say Naruto?"

The only remaining Genin of the Konoha 11 simply stared slightly numb; he couldn't feel anything. Going over everything that had happened over the last three weeks…Gaara dieing only to be brought back, fighting Akatsuki, fighting Orochimaru…Sasuke.

_Your eyes reek of a chakra far fouler than my own; it reminds me of Uchiha Madara…_

Naruto shook himself before coming to a decision, "I decline".

The room's other three occupants froze…even Sai; Naruto had just said 'no' to training with Kakashi, something he had wanted three years ago and never got, "w-what did you just say Naruto?"

"I said no," the blond Genin gave him an even stare. "I don't need anymore power; what I need is answers and I'll get them…one way or another". The rooms temperature had suddenly just dropped and he made for the door, "I'm not going to play around anymore". He was gone a moment later and everyone was just staring in disbelief at where he had just been.

It was then that Team Asuma entered the room and Ino smiled at them, "hey guys…what's with the faces?"

Making his way through town towards the Hokage Tower Naruto entered the building when he arrived and the receptionist told him to go on up since the staff pretty much knew the Hokage cared for the boy like a son. When he got up the stairs he reached the office door and knocked; when he didn't hear anything he knocked again.

"She's in a meeting Naruto," turning he saw Shizune holding some papers. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You can tell me when she'll be out?" he half-asked.

The older woman smiled at him and waved him down the hall, "she should be finished in about ten minutes; you can wait outside if you want; it's just down the hall on your right".

Naruto smiled at her and nodded, "thanks; Shizune-Nechan". He bade her goodbye and sat down outside of the council chambers.

It was silent for a few minutes before a voice shouted from inside the room which he quickly identified as Tsunade's, "WHAT?!"

Pressing his ear against the wall he listened in, "please understand Hokage-sama; the _boy_ has become a threat to the village and with the recent attack on the Kazekage there is no doubt that we will come under attack if the boy remains here".

"I know that but why exile him?! What the heck are you people thinking? If he goes out there then Akatsuki will-" that was definitely Tsunade.

"Now now Tsunade-sama; we know you care for the boy but village security comes first so he will be exiled instead of executed," a smug voice cut in.

"Not a chance in hell! I won't allow it!" Tsunade yelled in anger, "Uzumaki Naruto is a ninja and so falls under my jurisdiction! The council cannot dictate to me decisions concerning my Shinobi".

"No but with the Daimyo backing the council we can," was the sickening banshee-like voice of a certain pink-haired councilwoman. "The order is already given; Uzumaki Naruto is hereby banished from Konoha within one week".

Naruto let his hands drop; he could feel something wet falling down his face. Bringing his hands up to touch it he saw that it was tears; he was crying…He didn't need to hear anymore…he just ran. Ran through the tower, ran through the crowds, ran all the way home.

Not even registering what he was doing he began to seal his things in several scrolls and put them in pockets he had inside his jumpsuit. Once he was done he stood up and looked out of the window at the Hokage Monument before he clenched his fists and looked over at the picture of Team 7 from three years ago. He didn't look at it very long and put it face down before exiting the apartment making sure to turn off the lights and lock it.

Making his way towards the gate he suddenly froze, _'where am I going? What do I do now that I'm exiled?'_ a memory from his training trip played through his mind.

_Flashback no Jutsu Begin_

"_Even I can tell hatred is spreading," Jiraiya said sitting in a lotus position._

"…_Hatred?" Naruto asked confused._

_The Gama-Sennin scratched the back of his head, "I want to do something about it…but I don't know what…but I believe that the day will come when people truly understand each other"._

_Naruto smiled trying not to feel overwhelmed, "that sounds hard"._

_Jiraiya shrugged, "if I can't find the answer, it will be up to you to do it"._

_Naruto gave him his best salute, "okay; if that's what you want I can't refuse"._

_Flashback no Jutsu End_

'_Oh yeah…that was the last thing Ero-Sennin asked me to do for him,'_ he smiled at the memory before turning back towards monument and just like had done three years ago he raised his fist towards the fourth face and clamped it shut, _'I'll be back…that's a promise'. _He turned and continued walking noticing it was already night as he passed the two sleeping guards, _'now where do I start? I really don't have a destination do I? Damn'._

"**Whirlpool Country," **came a voice he knew very well.

'_What do you want Kyuubi? I told you I'm not going to use your power anymore,'_ Naruto growled back.

The great demon chuckled and spoke again, **"ever heard the phrase 'knowledge is power'? If you want answers then go to the Whirlpool Country; you'll find your answers there".**

'…_Alright I'll bite; why Whirlpool Country? I haven't even heard of the place!' _Naruto yelled in thought.

"**Your abandoned, alone in the darkness now yet again…the Whirlpool Country is an Island off of the coast of Water Country surrounded by hundreds of small whirlpools that make travelling by ship to get there impossible," **Kyuubi chuckled darkly.

'_And why should I head there? For that matter why are you helping me?'_ Naruto has only ever trusted three people wholeheartedly in his short life: Sarutobi, Tsunade and Jiraiya.

No matter what; you do _not _trust a fox…

Putting his body on autopilot he entered his mindscape and appeared at the demon's cage, "I want an answer". It was a demand not a request.

Kyuubi chuckled looking down on the boy **"since you aren't going to use my chakra anymore…I have to use my 'Plan B'"**. Naruto took a step back as a large cylinder shape rose from the ground…it was a scroll, **"this is a summoning contract for us Kitsune".**

Naruto just stared at it for a good few minutes before looking back up at the fox, "what's the catch?"

"**I get my freedom,"** Kyuubi said simply.

"Not going to happen; the Yondaime put you in here to stop you from causing more death and destruction and I sure as hell am not going to set you loose so you can go on a rampage again!" Naruto bellowed at him in anger, "if that's the price for that scroll then you can take your offer and sh-".

"**Shut up and let me explain," **the giant Kitsune flared his chakra. **"I would gain my freedom but I would also become a boss summon of the Kitsune Contract and as such have to obey its laws one of which is I have to follow your orders until the day you die".**

"I don't know…"

"**Kit; where would you be without me at the moment?" **the great demon asked his jailor.

"Living a nice and peaceful life," Naruto deadpanned.

Kyuubi chuckled at that, **"okay you got me there, but where's the fun in that?"**

A small smile crept across the blonde's face, "well…a little fight now and then _does _make life a little more interesting". The two shared a good laugh at that before Naruto looked up at the demon seriously, "jokes aside I need to know; will you attack anyone I care for?"

Kyuubi closed his eyes and spoke, **"I can't without your orders".**

"Good because if I find out you're playing me; I won't wait for Akatsuki to come and take you away. I'll just kill you outright…and that's a promise". They both knew he would find some way to carry out his threat; Kyuubi's gaze un-wavered as the blond signed his name in the scroll, "by the way…" He looked at the previous name in the scroll, "whatever happened to this Uchiha Madara?"

Kyuubi's only response was, **"your answers are in Whirlpool Country". **Just before Naruto was about to leave the demon spoke again, **"your elemental affinity is wind by the way; try using your chakra to use the wind and cut through something…a leaf should do".**

"Why?" Naruto asked turning back.

"**Because if you're going to be my summoner then you have to be the best; I won't accept anything less and elemental manipulation is a good start towards being the best," **the blond was suddenly blasted out of his mindscape. **"Make your own jutsu while you're at it; your arsenal is pathetic"**.

And so the next few days Naruto spent training with the clone method while the fox gave him occasional _advice_ if that's what you want to call it…

**Fire Country: Konoha / Hokage's Office**

"You wanted to see us Hokage-sama?" Tsunade turned from the window and looked over the many faces in her office.

"Yes," she spoke in a neutral tone. "I have a mission for you all".

"Hokage-sama; shouldn't Naruto be here for this if it's a joint team mission?" Sai asked politely.

The room suddenly got colder, "Naruto's gone". Everyone of the Konoha 11 and their senseis were confused by that so she decided to clear things up, "the council in their _infinite _wisdom have went over my head to the Daimyo himself and gotten Naruto exiled". The entire group was shocked by that, "they're using this latest incident with Sasuke as a means to get him exiled and they succeeded".

"Because of Kyuubi?" Shikamaru asked and none of the younger generation seems shocked.

"So you all know?" it wasn't a question.

"Half of the village figured it out awhile ago and most seemed to have gotten over the Kyuubi attack," Shikamaru sighed before continuing. "Troublesome; so the council went behind your back to get him out of the village".

"If it wasn't for me they would have executed him right then and there," Tsunade spoke the entire truth and that actually shocked a few of the people in the room. She smirked suddenly though, "but that's not all; apparently the brat's gone missing. Nobody can find him and he isn't supposed to leave for another two days…according to my Anbu he's no longer in Konoha".

"He's already left?" Ino asked confused, "when?"

"Not sure; I've had Jiraiya out looking for him encase Akatsuki has captured him," the Hokage answered shaking her head. "Anyways your mission it to find him and bring him back otherwise I will have no choice but to mark him as a nukenin".

"He's going to be exiled anyways; why bring him back just to exile him?" Chouji asked confused as to why they should bring him back if that's what was going to happen.

"Politics; I will be forced to send hunter nins after him if he is officially classified as a nukenin," Tsunade replied.

"Wow, wow, wow why are we talking like this? Surely there's something you can do to get him reinstated Tsunade-Shishou". Sakura spoke trying to calm down, _'please no! Not another one!'_

"With the Daimyo backing the council…there's nothing I can do".

**Author's Notes:**

Well how do you like chapter 1? I had an idea for another Naruto fic and this one isn't a crossover…well technically it is with Bleach but that's only one minor detail (Shunpo). Everything else is entirely Naruto and I bet you all have a lot of questions about this…also Yugito will make her grand entrance in a short while.

I really just wanted to try something new.

Please read and review.

See Ya Later…


	2. Parting Ways

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter2: Parting Ways

**Fire-Lightning Country: Border**

Uzumaki Naruto was a lot of things; headstrong, stubborn, half-crazy and has been known to switch between being a genius and an idiot at random but there is one thing he is known for being that truly defines who he is…he's insanely lucky. It had been three weeks since he left Konoha…three weeks since he left the one place he had always called home and in those three weeks with the help of shadow clones and Kyuubi he had progressed more than he did in almost three years prior. He still had a long way to go but at least now he felt like he was progressing again.

He was nearing the end of the seemingly endless forest towards his next destination and finally exited the forest onto a giant open field that stretched for miles, _'you know if I've ever had one other dream other than becoming Hokage…it'd be to see the whole world'._

"**Now that's a dream I don't mind,"** he heard the Kyuubi mutter before feeling him curling up to go to sleep. **"Wake me up if you need me".**

That's when he felt it; whirling around he spotted a squad of fourteen nins exit the forest behind him all wearing a Konoha hitai, _'I think you should stay awake for this fox'._

"**That's probably a good idea," **the Kyuubi's eyes snapped open as he opened his senses.

Naruto recognized the group consisting of the rest of the Konoha 11, Kakashi, Asuma, Yamato and Gai, "what are you guys doing here?"

"Naruto what are you thinking leaving the village?!" Kakashi half-asked, half-yelled.

The blond cocked his head to the side, "they were going to exile me anyways; I thought I'd get a head start on those Root Anbu guys the council will send after me".

"That doesn't matter; you need to come with us so you won't be marked as a nukenin," Kakashi explained.

Naruto just shook his head, "no can do Kakashi-sensei; I'm heading in the other direction".

"Naruto," the copy-nin warned.

"This is where we part ways sensei…for better or worse," the blond settle into a fighting stance "if you want me then you'll have to use force because I'm not going back with you".

"Enough of this! Akamaru!" Kiba charged forward with his loyal companion right beside him. He jumped and spun around creating a miniature tornado followed shortly by Akamaru "Gatsuga!"

"Kiba stop! It's too dangerous!" Asuma shouted after them.

"**You know your no match for them all kit even if you have improved greatly,"** Kyuubi spoke in his mind.

'_I know but there are only three forms of facing an enemy: fight, hide or run…I can't fight them all, there's nowhere to hide and they'll just chase me if I run,' _Naruto spoke in thought as he watched the two moved like a drill towards him.

"**You'll have to run but first you must take out your enemy's trackers so they can't pursue you," **the great demon informed him.

As the two spinning man-tornados closed in on the blond he started charging two randomly contained spinning balls in both his hands, _'I get it but…I don't want to kill any of them'._

"**You don't have to…just don't screw up!"** with that the link went silent.

Just when the pair was a few feet away he raised both chakra balls and hit them both while they were in midair "Rasenrengan!" the two were suddenly spinning in the other direction before being blown back by the jutsu.

They were sent crashing into a nearby tree and boulder "Kiba! Akamaru!" Ino shouted but the two were unmoving, "that idiot".

'_That was close,' _Naruto crouched down and settled into a Taijutsu position, _"I know it isn't field-tested but…I don't stand a chance without it'_. Taking a deep breath he started channelling chakra to every corner of his body, _'here we go'._

"Gai, Lee! Go in fast and close to take him down!" both green beasts nodded and shot forward on Kakashi's order.

Gai went in low and made to kick Naruto's midsection only for him to narrowly dodge and Naruto to throw a punch in retaliation. The punch was barely a graze but it sent Gai reeling back in pain; at that time Lee came in behind him and landed a punch to his back but hurt his hand upon impact. Naruto grunted in pain before dropping to the ground and sweeping Lee's legs out from under him. With the younger of the two green beasts on the floor he brought up his foot and then brought it down on Lee.

Lee let out a yelp of pain before Naruto rolled away with Gai descending right above with a downward him. The blond caught the kick with both of his hands and he pulled him down before punching him in the chest making him hit the ground with a loud tremor. Both of the green-clad ninja were barely moving and Naruto was starting to feel exhausted.

'_Dammit; only used it for a few seconds and already feeling fatigued,'_ the blond thought as he saw both ninja start to rise again. _'I can't last much longer; gotta think of a plan and fast!'_

Meanwhile Kakashi was examining the engagement with his Sharingan, _'he's channelling chakra to every part of his body and constantly keeping it moving; why?'_ That's when he saw it; both Gai and Lee had the image of a spiral on the areas where they had made contact with Naruto and the copy-nin's eyes suddenly flashed with recognition, _'don't tell me he formed a Rasengan around his entire body?' _"Gai, Lee! Fall back! Close combat is too dangerous with him!" both ninja complied and retreated to his side where Sakura and Ino started healing their wounds.

'_No chance that they're going to go away?'_ Naruto asked in thought as he saw Kakashi and Shikamaru begin to analyse him, _'I guess not'._

"You created a Taijutsu style which uses the Rasengan with your understanding of a Tailed-Shroud didn't you?" Kakashi asked with curiosity, "this allows you to do more damage to your opponent; even if it's just a graze and also protects you from physical attacks as well".

Naruto nodded slowly before explaining, "I call it the Rasenken and for the record it's not finished. I was going to infuse my wind elemental affinity into it to make it more effective and create the Futon: Rasenken".

"Spiralling Fist?" Kakashi muttered under his breath, _'it seems he's trying to surpass you sensei'._ Going through hand-seals he called out, "Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" he exhaled a massive fireball at the blond.

'_Can't dodge! I guess I'll see just what the Rasenken is made of,'_ Naruto thought as the fireball hit him dead-center.

'_Please tell me he survived that! Please don't be dead Naruto!'_ Kakashi thought in sweat and sighed in relief as he saw the blond step out of the flames with a white semi-transparent shield around him, "I see it also protects you from certain jutsus as well".

It suddenly flickered out of existence before becoming invisible again, "to a certain extent". _'Though if it's hit with enough force or with constant attacks then it will shut down quickly'_ he added mentally.

"The chakra requirements for something like that must be enormous; I can understand the Demon Fox's Shroud because it's powered by nine-tails of chakra but for a human like you…it must be taxing your reserves," the copy-nin spoke knowingly.

Naruto nodded and smirked "I've always had abnormally large reserves sensei…why do you think I failed the Genin Exam three times?" he felt the Rasenken shred a few of Shinos bugs that had tried to grab onto him.

Without another word he shot forward intent on knocking out the one person in the squad who posed a direct threat given the information he now held: Shikamaru. Seeing this Shikamaru sent his shadow at the blond only for him to dodge while Yamato appeared behind him holding a spear of wood. Naruto got in close forcing Yamato to back off while Sai moved to face the blond. The Root Anbu pulled out his sword and tried to stab him but it was merely deflected and appeared to be turning red from the constant friction of the Rasenken.

When he knocked Sai away with a single blow Neji and Hinata jumped in his way and charged in close. Sadly for them their Jyuuken was constantly being deflected by the Rasenken and both were knocked back when two swift punches. Before Shikamaru could react Naruto vanished in something akin to a flash of yellow and was suddenly inside his defences. Naruto slammed a fully formed Rasengan into his gut blasting him back until he hit the bottom of a nearby hill and fell into unconsciousness.

Turning quickly Naruto caught the knives Asuma was wielding against him enhanced with wind blades; the blond could feel the strain of the wind slashing at his defence before he shrugged the older man off and pulling him around to deliver a round-house kick to his midsection.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu!" he heard before he felt a presence entering his mind.

Well at least this time he had no problem blasting the intruder out…it wasn't a Sharingan user after all.

'_Get out of my head!'_ Ino fell backwards as she was blown back into her body only to be caught by Chouji. Naruto could now feel his chakra reserves almost gone and sighed as he shut down the Rasenken, _'damn; out of power'._

Kakashi's Sharingan notified him that the powerful defence was no longer active and called out, "your barrier is down Naruto; come quietly and you will not be harmed".

Naruto was panting slightly and looked around at the still conscious Konoha forces, _'Kakashi, Shino, Chouji, Tenten and Sakura…I need to get out of here now'._ He smiled like a fox, "sorry Kakashi-sensei but I'm not finished yet." He concentrated almost all of his remaining chakra into creating two Rasengans in the palms of his hands.

"Naruto come with us right now or we'll be forced to use drastic measures". Kakashi warned and concentrated chakra into his hand encasing it in lightning, "Raikiri".

Naruto looked at him and his jutsu sadly, "you'd go that far just to follow an order?" When Kakashi didn't answer he continued, "you know I remember the first lesson you taught us…the only lesson you ever really taught us: 'those who disobey the rules are trash but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash'…your such a hypocrite". He closed his eyes for one moment seeing the look of slight shock and horror at what he just said cross Kakashi's eyes, "goodbye Konoha…thanks for the memories". He slammed both chakra balls into the ground, "Rasenrengan!"

Dust shot up blanketing the entire area in a cloud of smoke, "smokescreen!" Kakashi shouted unable to see though it even with the Sharingan.

'_Shunpo no Jutsu,'_ though no one could see it there were several flashes of yellow as Naruto flash-stepped out of the area.

"Futon: Daitoppa!" Kakashi exhaled a large blast of air and dissipated the dust cloud revealing that Naruto was nowhere in sight "he got away; can anyone track him?"

"Kiba, Neji and Hinata are down," Shino reported. "My bugs were unable to grab onto him".

Kakashi looked around at his badly beaten team noticing Sakura and Ino were doing what they could to heal the wounded but Sakura's behaviour worried him greatly. She hadn't spoken throughout the entire encounter…he was worried that she might have cracked thinking yet another one of her team-mates had left the village even if he was exiled…or that it was indirectly her fault.

"Patch up the wounded and then we'll return to Konoha…I doubt we'd be able to find Naruto now that he knows we're after him," Kakashi sighed putting his hitai back into place over his left eye.

"Why?" Chouji asked.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at him, "because though he dresses in bright orange he is almost impossible to locate when he doesn't want to be found…how do you think he pulled off his pranks all of the time?"

**Lightning Country: Unknown Location**

Naruto finally stopped using his new jutsu which he had created a few days ago after he had remembered his battle against Gaara where he used Kyuubi's chakra to execute a super-powered jump up to where Gaara had stood. When he stopped using it he felt almost completely drained and collapsed on the ground feeling for the first time in years depleted.

"**Took you long enough," **he heard Kyuubi chuckle under his breath.

'_The Rasenken requires way too much power to maintain…well at least I've field-tested the thing now'._ Naruto thought as raising his head slightly from the ground, _' hopefully this is far enough away'._

It took a full thirty minutes to recover his chakra before he was able to move again and he sat up straight. He stood a moment later and for once in his life was thankful that Kyuubi was sealed inside him because it regenerated his chakra at an alarming rate.

"**You need to hurry and get out of here before anyone else shows up," **Kyuubi spoke more as an order than a suggestion.

He bit his thumb drawing blood and made several hand-seals before slamming his bloodied hand into the ground, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu". With a poof of smoke there suddenly stood in front of him a horse-sized five-tailed fox, "I guess the Kitsune Contract was the real deal after all".

The fox looked over at him for a moment before speaking in a feminine tone, "you must be the new summoner?" it wasn't a question.

Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously and explained, "yeah that's me…do you mind if I get a ride?"

Tsukino simply stared at him before nodding, "I am Tsukino no Kitsune; father speaks highly of you…how far do you wish to travel?"

The blond pointed up at a far off mountain, "to the base of that mountain".

"That's a days journey at least…another week's to get up it; are you sure?" Tsukino commented.

Naruto nodded, "it would take three times longer to go around it".

Tsukino sighed, "very well; climb on and we'll get moving". He pulled himself up to mount the fox like you would a horse and she spoke again, "fast or slow?"

"Err…fast?" Naruto half-asked.

"Okay" she said simply as her tails rapped around themselves. "You might want to hang on," Tsukino looked over her shoulder at him and grinned (like a fox). The end of her tails suddenly caught fire and exploded outwards away from them, "step one".

With the sound of an explosion echoing behind them the fox took off at insane speeds towards the mountain making Naruto have trouble breathing.

'_Note too self: _Never _ask her to go fast again'_

"**Did I fail to mention she likes high speeds?" **you could almost feel the amusement in the demon lord's voice.

'_She's your daughter,' _Naruto shot back.

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Southern Gate**

It took a full week to make it to the Kumo which was situated on the mountain's summit; Tsukino had returned to the summon realm per her request once they reached the bottom of the mountain. Over the week while he had been climbing up it Naruto had been experimenting with adding wind to his various forms of Rasengan; he hadn't got it down yet but he was close…very close.

'_Dammit; it's not good enough,' _he thought looking at his worn-out arm as he approached the village gates. _'I really need a bath and a nice comfy bed; I really hate bathing in rivers and sleeping on the ground…they had better have ramen'._

"Halt! That's far enough; state your name and your business here," Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts by one of the three Chunin on guard duty.

"Err…I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I err…well I just want to stop here tonight. I'm just passing through really and I should be gone tomorrow," the blond explained.

The Chunin looked him over a few times before nodding, "alright follow me to the Raikage's office; you will of course be watched by an Anbu at all times as per protocol".

Naruto sighed in relief before nodding, "led the way Chunin-san".

As he followed the Chunin through the village he noticed right away the absence of any muttering and any hateful glares directed at him. People were going about there business; stores all around the area were abuzz with activity and there were even children running around playing. Kumo itself was several large clusters of platforms, buildings and towers all over the mountain's peak with the Raikage Tower at the very top. All of this was interlocked in one way or another and it was one of the largest hidden villages in the elemental countries rivalling Konoha in sheer size.

That's when Naruto dropped the question he had wanted to ask since arriving, "do you know any good ramen stands?"

The Chunin stopped dead in his tracks and he turned fearfully, "don't tell me you…"

"What? Like ramen? Of course; it's a gift from the gods!" you could see the sparkles in Naruto's eyes.

"Sweet Kami not another one," the Chunin muttered shaking his head and shivering in fear. He knew someone that had a very large addiction to ramen…now he had met another, "they're both blond too".

Proceeding through the village they were nearing the Raikage Tower when suddenly all of Kumo shook with several explosions echoing in the distance, "what the hell was that?" Naruto asked getting his bearings. The Chunin didn't answer but when he saw some smoke in the distance he took off toward it, "hey wait up!" Naruto shouted running after him noting that the Anbu that was supposed to be tailing him wasn't there.

The two arrived at the demolished section of the market district which looked like it had been through a war, "what happened here?" the Chunin looked around in horror seeing other Kumo nins helping people out of the rubble. He spotted someone wearing a Jonin jacket pinned under a support beam and dashed over to him, "Eric-sensei!" He kneeled down beside the man who was his apparent his teacher, "are you alright sensei?"

The man now identified as Eric grunted in pain but nodded, "I've had better days".

"One moment and I'll get you out," the Chunin lifted the support beam with Naruto's help allowing the Jonin to get out from under it, "what happened here sir?"

"There were two of them," he gritted out with a wince. "They appeared out of on' where wearing black cloaks with red clouds and attacked Yugito-sama". He winced a bit more, "Yugito-sama lured them away into the sewer system towards the central hub directly below us. She blew out the hatches and the valves to prevent them escaping and us from interfering".

"That explains the explosions," the Chunin clenched his fists. "She's all alone in there".

While this was going on Naruto was deep in thought, _'black cloaks with red clouds? Definitely Akatsuki but that would mean this 'Yugito' would be a Jinchuuriki…I guess it's true what they say, enemy of my enemy is my friend'. _"How far down are we talking?" Naruto asked interrupting the two Kumo nins.

They looked at each other before turning back, "just under a mile; we don't have the tools or the time to drill down there though," Eric answered honestly.

Naruto didn't answer but instead charged a ball of spinning chakra, "just under a mile…might be close but I'll do what I can". He slammed it into the ground burying it in deep and causing it to accelerate downwards crating a hole in the deep into the ground, "Rasengan". He turned to the two once he was done and said. "Catch up when you can," with that he jumped down into the hole disappearing from view.

As he fell Naruto was in a deep discussion with a certain fox, _'so any idea which Jinchuuriki this is?'_

"**I might have an idea…Nibi no Nekomata; she's my mate,"** Kyuubi answered/mused.

Naruto almost fainted at that, "what? You're married? How the hell did that happen?"

"**Do not think so lowly of me as to go by the human's term; she's my mate not my wife," **Kyuubi growled in anger.

'_You mean like soul mate?' _Naruto asked trying to understand the concept.

"**Yes you hairless ape,"** Kyuubi replied mockingly.

Naruto resisted the urge to hurt the demon lord, _'but I thought Tsukino-Chan was your daughter…she wasn't a cat'._

"**She gets her striking good looks from me while she gets Nibi-Chan's personality," **you could almost say Kyuubi was proud of that.

'_You don't say,'_ Naruto thought dryly.

**Author's Notes:**

Chapter 2 is up and running; next chapter we will finally meet Yugito and that I promise you all.

Oh and before people start complaining about me making Naruto too strong I will tell you here and now that the only reason he managed to hold his own against _14_ Shinobi of Chunin and Jonin level was because he had an ace up his sleeve…that's all; the Rasenken is the only reason he managed to last as long as he did.

_**Translation**_

Gatsuga = Fang over Fang

Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere

Rasenrengan = Double Spiralling Sphere

Shunpo no Jutsu = Flash Step Technique

Futon: Daitoppa = Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

Raikiri = Lightning Blade

Shintenshin no Jutsu = Mind Body Switch Technique

Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

Rasenken = Spiralling Fist

Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist

Please Read and Review…

…See Ya Later…


	3. Dropping in Unannounced

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter3: Dropping in Unannounced

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Sewer System Central Hub**

Far below the surface of the village a giant purple cat made of fire with two tails was hit by a monstrous blast of wind and water from a man covered in black web-like strings and four masks. His partner, a silver-haired man wielding a scythe in his right arm watched as the fire-cat was suddenly destroyed leaving a blond-haired girl of fifteen years of age crashing hard into a pile of rubble. She groaned from the impact and tried to stand panting hard while still watching her enemy.

Currently Nii Yugito was in a state of mental shock; _the _Nibi no Nekomata, her most powerful weapon and possibly the only reason she was still alive…was just defeated. It was ludicrous to even think a human could defeat it even if she could only turn into a miniature demon cat. It should have been impossible but yet it was true and after nearly an hour of fighting these _people _(if that's what you call them) she was reaching her limit.

"Just give up little girl; you may have destroyed one of my hearts with that transformation of yours but you can't win this and you know it," the one she had found out to be named Kakuzu spoke in an almost amused tone.

And for the first time since her mom died Yugito was afraid.

She gulped and narrowed her eyes running through hand-seals, "Rai Bunshin no Jutsu". Fifteen lightning clones appeared at her side in a spark of lightning which shot out from her body, "you won't get me".

Hidan cracked a smirk, "you're about to die little girl; Jashin-sama commands it," he shot forward and five clones moved to intercept him.

Kakuzu shifted to long-range mode and focused his most attack on her, "Futon: Atsugai, Katon: Zukokku!" the combined heat and force of the two jutsus was essentially like an incinerator.

The lightning clones were destroyed easily enough and when the dust cleared both Kakuzu and Hidan went on edge when they couldn't find their cornered pray.

"Kaizuki!" Kakuzu heard the shout and looked up just as Yugito swung her fire covered arm down on him.

'_Got to dodge,'_ Kakuzu thought trying to move out of the way. She sliced her entire arm though one of his heart and he skidded away clutching his now missing water heart/mask, "you…"

"Dammit I missed," she muttered under her breath and looked down in surprise as she felt a chain rap around her.

With a tug she was hurled backwards by Hidan crashing hard into the nearby wall, "not bad little girl but not good enough". He charged forward intent on finishing her then and there.

Yugito watched him approach and closed her eyes awaiting the pain to come…

…It didn't.

She opened her eyes and looked up seeing someone standing between her and the seemingly immortal man holding his outstretched weapon which had been aimed at her neck.

"You know it's not very gentlemen-like to hit a lady," Hidan looked him over in shock before was on the receiving end of a monstrous punch to the jaw. He was hurled across the cavern before finally crashing hard beside Kakuzu with his scythe, "you Akatsuki bastards are really starting to piss me off". The newcomer made a hand-seal and two clones poofed into existence beside him, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu".

"Reinforcements?" Yugito started channelling chakra to heal her wounds with medical-Ninjutsu and looked up at the one who had just saved her, "who the hell are you".

The original turned to look at her and she could clearly see his face now. He had blond hair held back by a Konoha hitai, blue serene eyes and six distinguishing marks on his face reminiscent of whiskers.

"We'll talk later but right now I need to know what these guys are capable of," he spoke and she nodded leaning back against the wall.

"The one with the scythe; his name his Hidan and though he doesn't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu he is extremely deadly at close range with that weapon of his. If he draws blood from you with that then he'll be able to curse you and the kill you without breaking a sweat," Yugito explained. "The other is named Kakuzu. He's a bounty hunter of sorts from Takigakure who kills for money; he's a midrange fighter who has five hearts he's taken from other people to prolong his life and has also fought the Shodai Hokage". That last bit of information scared Naruto slightly, "he uses all five elements though he can only use three now since I destroyed two of his hearts".

"When you say hearts…" he trailed off.

Yugito nodded, "he's died twice but he still needs to die three more times before he stays dead".

Naruto turned to his clones, "you heard her".

"Yeah, yeah, we got it. Two down, three to go," the two clones shot forward.

"Don't just go charging in!" Yugito shouted at his stupidity.

The two clones were easily dispatched by Kakuzu's web/threads stabbing them, "shadow clones will not help you here…Kyuubi Jinchuuriki".

Yugito looked up in surprise noting that the man was talking to the one that had saved her, _'Kyuubi Jinchuuriki? Is he one too?'_

"**Oh I finally get to see my Kyuubi-kun again," **Yugito suddenly had a headache from her inner demon's squealing.

Naruto's eyes became slitted and he made a hand-seal again, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu".

Eight clones poofed into existence as Hidan landed at his partner's side, "not that old trick again" Hidan smirked.

His smirk didn't last long…

An earth shattering bell-like screech filled the cavern forcing Yugito to cover her ears as she watched Naruto's clones focus their chakra to the original's hand. Spinning its chakra constantly in all directions; she saw it take the form of a ball with a small series of blade appearing from the center of it. He held up his hand into the air above his head and suddenly those blades expanded…into the shape of a shuriken.

"Futon: Rasenshuriken," Naruto said its name.

"Hidan," Kakuzu looked over getting his attention. It was then that Hidan noticed his partner was sweating slightly, "don't let that jutsu hit you; even for us…if either of us gets hit by that it would mean certain death".

"I've finally found someone who can kill me," Hidan spoke almost gleefully.

Naruto and his clones shot forward with his clones taking the lead; five clones got into a fight with Hidan but were no match however Naruto didn't really think they would make a difference anyways. One of the remaining clones jumped up and swung down with a kunai in a stabbing motion but was intercepted by several of Kakuzu's webs piercing his body in midair.

Two more clones came from his side and he charge two of his masks, "Futon: Atsugai, Katon: Zukokku!" the two clones were destroyed instantly from the two separate attacks.

"Kakuzu! Behind you!" Hidan called out.

Kakuzu turned and his eyes widened as he saw Naruto lunging towards him with his jutsu in hand outstretched, _'shit! I've got to dodge!'_ He skidded backwards and the jutsu missed slowly diminishing and fading from existence, "I have you now!" He shot his webs forward catching Naruto off guard and piercing his body, "no more playing around _boy_".

The blond just looked up at his face, "I wasn't playing". 'Naruto' then poofed out of existence making Kakuzu's eyes widen in shock.

'_When did he?'_ he heard a noise from below him and suddenly saw another Naruto shoot out from the ground with a hand outstretched in a fist.

"Rasenken!" he called out sending an uppercut to the heart-collector knocking him high into the air.

'_Ow! What the hell did he hit me with?!'_ Kakuzu suddenly became very self-conscious as he heard the distinct bell-like screech coming from above him, _'don't tell me he…all we've been fighting is clones?!'_

Looking up he watched in horror as Naruto descended upon his with a chakra shuriken-ball in hand, "let's see ya dodge me this time!" He slammed the weapon into his chest shattering all of the glass in the cavern under the high-pitched vibrations and Kakuzu could barely get of a scream of pain as he was blasted downwards at insane speeds, "Futon: Rasenshuriken!"

When he hit the floor the chakra shuriken-ball expanded engulfing his entire body in a miniature tornado of wind needles that kept slashing at the cells of his body. He screamed in pain as every nucleus in his body was destroyed under the barrage until finally it stopped making the cavern go silent. Naruto skidded to the a stop next to Yugito and took out a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it; he threw it cutting deep into Kakuzu's body before it exploded killing him and destroying half of his body.

Kakuzu's lifeless corpse hit the ground with a thud and Hidan growled in annoyance and excitement, "well that's something I'd never thought I'd see".

Naruto was panting hard though, _'dammit should have got them both in that last attack. Now I'm completely exhausted and I'd rather not try that again,'_ he looked down at the hand he used to wield his jutsu.

It was numb…very numb.

"It looks like you're out of chakra," Hidan's smirk widened as he closed in slowly still holding his scythe.

'_I need to do something or I'm dead…no pressure,'_ Naruto thought wryly trying to go through his options.

He didn't have any.

Hidan charges without any further delay and is within a few feet of him before he is sent flying backwards by a well placed punch to the face. He slammed into the wall leaving a crater and numerous web-like cracks in the wall.

"Grandfather!" Yugito called out as the Raikage landed beside the two with Team Samui dropping down in front of the three.

"Are you alright Yugito-Chan," the Raikage knelt down to hug his granddaughter. "They didn't hurt you did they?"

'_That punch he just gave Hidan…I wonder who's has more force to it, his or Obachan's,' _Naruto shivered at the thought and turned his attention to the sole remaining Akatsuki member.

"Hidan! **Come with me now!"** a plant-like figure appeared out of the ground behind the Akatsuki member.

Hidan growled and then glared at the group, "I'll get you for this! Brats!" Zetsu pulled him into his little void with him.

Team Samui unsheathed their swords and carved up the entire side of the cavern the two had been on. When the dust cleared it was clear that both of them were gone and Naruto finally let out a sigh of relief only to wince in pain now that his arm was no longer numb.

"Well that's what I get for using a jutsu I haven't field-tested," the ex-Konoha nin grumbled clutching his arm.

Yugito saw this and grabbed his hand and before he could protest she started using her medic-jutsu on it, "you hadn't even field-tested that jutsu? Then what the hell were you think of using it for? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

He winced as she worked, "well the jutsu still isn't finished and clearly it still has a few flaws in it".

"Not finished," she gulped and looked up at him with wide-eyes. "That jutsu of yours destroyed the nucleus of nearly every cell in your arm".

Naruto grinned sheepishly at that, "well you should see the other guy". She hit him on the head, "hey! What was that for?!"

"You reckless idiot! If you use that jutsu like that you will destroy you're chakra pathways and won't be able to use chakra anymore!" she berated him.

"Is that anyway to talk to the guy that saved your pretty little ass," he shot back causing her to go red in the face.

While this was going on Team Samui were trying their best not to laugh.

The Raikage coughed catching their attention, "not that I mind you both bickering like an old married couple…" Yugito glared at him, "…I think we should take this somewhere a little more...private".

Teams of Kumo nins were dropping into the cavern now; most likely to assist in damage control among other things.

'_Its going to be one of those days…is my life ever normal?'_ were Naruto's thoughts as he was (involuntarily) brought with them towards the Raikage Tower…

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Raikage's Office**

"Alright; one of my Chunin has told me you wish to stop here tonight?" the Raikage asked sitting down in his seat.

"Yeah…I'm actually just passing through on my way to Water country," Naruto explained.

The aged Kage raised an eyebrow at that, "that's a strange place for a Jinchuuriki to go…usually Jinchuuriki are treated worse there than bloodlines".

"Yeah well…I'm just passing through there as well," he told the truth or at least most of it.

"But there's nothing passed Water Country but ocean; it's the edge of the continent," the Raikage scanned over him for a second. "Your planning to leave the continent?"

"In a manner of speaking," it wasn't a lie; it just wasn't the whole truth either.

The Raikage eyed him a bit more before nodding knowing the boy wouldn't tell him his destination, _'the place passed Water Country is Whirlpool…nah couldn't be; that country has been destroyed so there's no reason for a child to go there unless…'_ Shaking himself from his thoughts he nodded his head, "alright you can stay in the village tonight but you must be on you way noon tomorrow; understood?"

"Yes Raikage-sama," Jiraiya had pummelled manners into his head when talking to leaders; especially Shinobi village leaders.

"Good; now moving on…according to my spies in Konoha you are…a Genin? Why?" the Raikage couldn't seem to rap his head around that bit of information.

"You used your spies to get information on me?" Naruto was a bit surprised at that; after all besides Kyuubi there wasn't really anything special about him…right?

"Yes now to answer the question; how can a _Genin,_ (stressed it a bit)whowithout using his Biju's power take on two S-Ranked Criminals and kill one of them while delaying the other until reinforcements arrived?" The Raikage deadpanned, "that shouldn't be possible even for a Jinchuuriki".

Naruto looked a bit nervous at that, "well…I haven't really gotten around to taking the Chunin Exams again".

"If the Chunin Exam was the only way for a ninja to become Chunin most of the villages would be filled almost entirely of Genin". The aged Kage chuckled, "why haven't you gotten a field promotion yet?"

"Field promotion?" Naruto asked confused.

"When a ninja does missions above their regular grade they are promoted when they do enough of them or if they're especially high ranked missions" the Raikage explained "my granddaughter is one such individual; she took an extremely dangerous S-Ranked mission and was promoted for it instead of showcasing her to the elemental countries at the exams and probably painting a bigger bull's-eye on her than what she has now".

"So you're saying I could have been promoted at any time? I've been doing high level missions a lot over the years," the blond looked saddened at that and asked mentally,_ '…did they not trust me?'_

"I think I know the reason you weren't promoted…you weren't liked in Konoha even by Jinchuuriki standards were you?" when Naruto didn't answer he continued. "They probably didn't want you to become a Chunin preferring to keep you as a Genin".

Naruto's voice was barely a whisper, "yeah; I think your right".

The Raikage's lips shifted into a grin, "well technically you did just do an S-Ranked mission to protect my granddaughter from two S-Class Criminals…since I'm a Kage I could promote you to any rank you wished". Naruto looked up at him wide-eyed and his grin widened, "I understand you have a summoning contract with the Kitsune?" Naruto nodded with a gulp not trusting his throat, "since you are no longer a shinobi of any village I cannot promote you to any of the standard ranks. What I can do is instate you with Sennin statues like Jiraiya-dono and Hokage-dono. You are a Sennin now; you answer to no one and can travel anywhere you wish without worrying about inference from anyone besides Konoha".

"W-what?"

"You don't want it?" the Raikage asked in humor.

"Damn right I want it," whatever manners he had for high authority figures had just been thrown out of the window when that offer was made.

"Congratulations…Kitsune-Sennin," the Raikage almost laughed at his dumbfounded expression.

"I-I don't know what to say," Naruto looked between overjoyed and completely shocked.

"Not used to rewards are ya kid?" the aged Kage asked sadly before he smiled again, "think of it as a thank you for saving my granddaughter".

"Yes sir," Naruto nodded in thanks and asked. "Will that be all Raikage-sama?"

The Raikage simply looked at him for a few long moments before nodding, "that will be all Uzumaki Naruto".

"By your leave," the blond stood and nodded before making his way to the office door.

"Wait," the blond stopped and turned when he heard the Raikage spoke. "Before you go may I ask you one thing?"

Naruto nodded curiously, "what is it?"

"Are you by any chance related to Uzumaki Kushina?" Naruto's eyes widened at that.

"There's another Uzumaki? But I thought it was just a name the Sandaime Hokage made up," Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Who is she? Where is she?"

"She was confirmed to have been in Konoha during the Kyuubi attack and died in childbirth which is why I asked if you had any relation to her…you also act like her, a lot like her". The Raikage explained, "if I had to guess she would be your mother".

"You knew her?" at his question the aged Kage nodded in reply.

"Yes she was the last Uzukage of Uzugakure no Sato deep in Whirlpool Country; despite not being an 'official' Kage like the others there were still very few who would trifle with her," Naruto's eyes widened at that. "Uzugakure no Sato was Kyuubi no Kitsune's first target before attacking Fire Country; I'm not really sure how it got passed Water and Lightning Country without us knowing about it though".

"Wait; Kyuubi attacked Whirlpool Country first?" Naruto asked confused, "why?"

"You're its Jinchuuriki…why don't you ask him?" the Raikage asked.

'_Furball?' _no answer. _'Kyuubi?' _still nothing, "he's not answering".

"Anyway we should be able to do a DNA match between you and her though I have a pretty good guess who your father is as well," the aged Kage spoke knowingly. _'Of course those two did marry; she just didn't take his last name to protect herself from his enemies…this might hold true for young Naruto-kun as well'. _He pressed the bottom on the intercom and spoke, "Yugito-Chan are you still in the lounge?"

"Yes grandfather; why?" came her reply.

"I want you to do a DNA test on Naruto-kun here and match it up to anyone on file," the Raikage may have phrased it as a request but everyone knew it was an order.

"Isn't having people's DNA on file a security risk? I mean that bastard Orochimaru is a prime example," Naruto pointed out.

The Raikage nodded at him, "it would be if the DNA was not mostly sealed away similar to a blood seal which requires a family member's blood to deactivate the seal".

Naruto thought on it for a few minutes before he nodded in understanding, "I get it".

"Then follow me Kitsune-Sennin and we'll get this over with," the Raikage stood and passed him exiting through the door.

Naruto followed and asked, "err…if this 'Kushina' turns out to be my mother then…who would be my father?"

The Raikage just smirked at him, "why her husband Namikaze Minato of course".

"Where have I heard that name bef—what?!"

**Author's Notes:**

And so ends chapter 3. Well there's Naruto's promotion; which in all honesty should have been done in the manga and Anime the _moment_ he returned from his two and a half year training trip but that's just me. Oh and Sennin means Sage which for this story is a rank between Jonin and Kage (like the Sannin which consists of three Sennin). Sigh; wow two updates in one day.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox

Sennin = Sage

Rai Bunshin no Jutsu = Lightning Clone Technique

Kaizuki = Fire Blade

Futon: Atsugai = Wind Release: Pressure Damage

Katon: Zukokku = Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique

Rasenken = Spiralling Fist

Futon: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken

Please read and review…

…See Ya Later…


	4. A Whirlpool’s Spiral

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter4: A Whirlpool's Spiral

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Hospital**

"You have got to be kidding me," Naruto shook his head.

"No jokes; the tests came back positive," Yugito informed him in irritation. "I know I didn't believe it either but you are the son of the Nidaime Uzukage and Yondaime Hokage: Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato…results don't lie".

"B-but it can't be true," Naruto clenched his fists.

"Kid; have you taken a look in the mirror? You look like a teenage Minato if you take off your hitai," the Raikage commented. "I had my suspicions when I first saw you…especially with the name Uzumaki; this would also explain why you're heading to Whirlpool".

"How did you-"

"Because the only country beyond Water Country is Whirlpool" the Raikage cut in. "Whether you like it or not is up to you now but most of Kumo knows who you are now and it will only be a matter of time before news about you starts to circulate around all of the elemental countries…all the way back to Konoha". The aged Kage added at the last second knowingly. "and I knew your father before I became the Raikage; he wouldn't have grabbed a random child from the hospital to stop the Kyuubi so he'd only use his own son".

"I know that but…" Naruto trailed off only to be hit over the head by Yugito. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"You were going all emo on us; he loved you so much he gave you a weapon to defend yourself with since he was leaving you alone," Yugito said almost as a shout. "You can't tell me you wouldn't do the same if your roles were reversed because I sure as hell would".

"…"

She looked away, "my father died sealing Nibi in me because he knew that to survive as my parent's child I would need its power". He didn't need to look to know that she was crying slightly.

"I'm sorry; I didn't know," Naruto averted his eyes sadly. "You're right; I'd probably do the same thing but that doesn't make it right".

When Yugito didn't say anything the Raikage spoke up, "you'll be staying in my mansion for the night; I trust you have no objections?"

Naruto shook his head and sighed and looked down at his bandaged hand, _'I still need to get stronger though'._

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Raikage's Mansion**

"**Kit," **Kyuubi's voice sounded in his mind. Naruto groaned and rolled over in bed. **"Kit!"**

'_What Kyuubi? Can't it wait? I'm trying to sleep here you know,'_ the blond growled in thought.

"**Take a look through your memories of your battle against that sensei of yours when you used four of my tails," **the fox told him

'_And why?' _Naruto asked with half-lidded eyes.

"**You'll find it interesting," **Kyuubi responded and started playing the memories of the battle in his mind.

It was then that Naruto woke up fully as he saw the way Jiraiya had fought him…he was fighting all out.

"What is that?" he asked out loud looking through a particular memory.

"**That is the Toad Sage Mode only accessible to the Sages of the Summoned Toads,"** the monstrous fox let a grin cross his face. **"All summoned races have their own versions of Sage Mode; the snakes turn their summoners into giant snakes. The slugs enhance their summoner's healing factor by over ten thousand percent and the toads increase their summoner's raw strength a hundredfold. Long story short; the Kitsune are no exception".**

'_You can make me a Fox Sage Mode?'_ Naruto asked in confusion, _'I thought that would be something like a Tailed-Shroud'._

"**In a manner of speaking; it would still be different from that pervert's Sage Mode in that it won't have any jutsu or 'Frog Katas' which are **_**even I have to admit**_** extremely deadly to you lower lifeforms,"** Kyuubi explained.

'_Hey!'_

"**Anyway the Fox Sage Mode would instead give you enormous amounts of chakra; and I mean enormous and a fraction of my physical strength," **the fox finished.

'_Great; no cool jutsus but instead I get a fancy new form. Just great,' _Naruto grumbled for a second before getting up from his bed.

He opened the nearby cabinet where he had place put his jumpsuit; once he got dressed he made his way for the door only to stop when he saw it. There hanging from the door was a longer long red trench coat with the bottom outlined with black flames and on the back of it was the image of a fox with nine tails over the image of a Rasenshuriken. And emblazoned over that was the kanji for 'Fox Sage' which he nearly fainted from seeing. He let a wry smile form on his lips and put on the coat before moving towards the mirror.

'_It looks like a custom job…it was probably the Raikage,'_ Naruto though and took off his hitai letting his hair fall out of place. _'I really do look like dad; don't I?'_

He smiled and shook his head and looked down at his hitai with the Konoha symbol on it. Looking at it he couldn't help but see his friends…all the family he had ever known. He clenched it in his hand and put it away before exiting the room making his way towards the training grounds behind the mansion. Once there he followed Kyuubi's explanations on and continued to practice until a certain someone decided to interrupt him.

"What are you doing brat?" Yugito asked from her position on one of the nearby training posts.

"Don't call me a brat; I'm the same age as you," Naruto growled back.

She chuckled at him and nodded, "true but your far too immature for your age". He was about to say something but stopped himself remembering her tears yesterday, "what is it?"

He shook his head, "never mind". He then gestured for her to come over, "you want to join me? I never did like training alone". Yugito nodded silently and approached him, "now I've got to ask…has Nibi ever offered you a summoning contract with the Nekomata?"

Yugito nodded at that, "yes but I've never signed it…why?"

"Why don't you do that first and I'll show you what I have in mind," Naruto was grinning like a fox.

* * *

Unbeknownst to them the Raikage watched from one of the mansion's windows; his bother at his side. They watched as the two blonds below were practicing gathering natural chakra and infusing it into their very own souls to enter what the Raikage knew as a Sage Mode only for summoners who have passed all of the trials of the summoned clan. In this case the trial for them both was simply living as a Jinchuuriki…he knew that they weren't anymore though. Kyuubi and Nibi returned to the summon realm upon the signing of each contract though it appeared their former hosts were still able to communicate with them.

"You seem troubled brother," Kirabi observed. Even though the known bad rapper was carefree most of the time he had always been reserved when his grandniece and fellow Kumo Jinchuuriki was plaguing his brother's thoughts, "you keep staring at the boy and Yugito-Chan".

The Raikage snorted, "I don't know what you mean".

"Akatsuki will try again and next time…the Namikaze boy will not be there to save her," spoke the proclaimed Guardian of Kumo in a saddened tone unexpected from him.

The Raikage looked over at his brother and nodded, "yes but she…would be ready next time".

"…No she won't; she's nowhere near ready for a bunch of S-Class criminals after her head," Kirabi told him. "She'd surely be captured if she remains here".

"Yes but would it be safer to send her with the boy? He's head into Water Country and then onto Whirlpool…do I have to remind you why that territory is so dangerous?" asked the aged Kage with cold eyes.

Kirabi closed his eyes and shook his head, "if she remains here she will surely be captured and killed by Akatsuki but…if she goes with the boy she might have a chance to live through these harsh times".

The Raikage merely stared at him before nodding slowly agreeing with his brother, "Yes; she would be safer if she were constantly on the move and one step ahead of Akatsuki".

Kirabi smiled slipping back into his carefree nature, "don't worry so much bro; Yugito-Chan will be alright yo, yo, yo".

"Would you not start with the rapping at a time like this?" the aged Kage asked annoyed.

Before the Hachibi Jinchuuriki could respond the two felt a great pressure in the air and looked down at the two outside…they looked different. Naruto and Yugito stood with their hands held in a seal; the pupils in their blue narrowed into vertical slits.

Then it was gone…

Their eyes suddenly shifted out of existence returning the two teenagers to 'normal' if that were even a word to describe ninja.

It was then that the Raikage made his decision…

**Rain Country: Ame / Akatsuki Headquarters**

"So the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki has fled Konoha," Deidara grinned. "Can I go after him? It will be a blast…so to speak".

Hidan glared at the bomber, "you wouldn't stand a chance against him; he took out three of Kakuzu's hearts in one attack! The same guy that reattached your arm after yours was blown off fighting the -eyed wonder".

"You make him sound scarier than he really is!" Kisame said with a laugh, "he's nothing but a brat; a lucky brat but still a brat".

"That may be but he isn't a normal Jinchuuriki like the others **and now that he's travelling with the Nibi Jinchuuriki he **will be hard to capture," Zetsu informed. **"From what I can tell they're heading towards the old **Whirlpool Country beyond Water Country…**not sure why**".

Pein stepped out from the shadows and spoke ending the debate, "enough of this; the time grows near and those two are needed. Itachi, Kisame; you two are to intercept them and capture them".

"Yes Leader-sama," the two Akatsuki members spoke in unison.

**Fire Country: Konoha / Hokage's Office**

"…You're sure about this?" Tsunade asked staring wide-eyed at the man she knew as her former team-mate.

Currently the other members of the Naruto Retrieval Team plus Kurenai were assembled in the room; most felt saddened (and in some cases humiliated) by the fact that Naruto was able to escape them and make it look easy while doing it. Kakashi himself couldn't help but feel like he had neglected his former student in favour of his other now traitorous student. He had hoped to make it up to Naruto with some training one-on-one but instead the blond had left and gotten far stronger than Kakashi would have expected even with shadow clones.

The last engagement just proved it…anyway back to the situation at hand.

"My spies confirmed it; he took on two S-Class nukenin from Akatsuki and killed one before reinforcements arrived and drove the other one off all the while protecting the Raikage's granddaughter" Jiraiya let a grin slip across his face, "he's even went further with the Rasengan; completely surpassing myself, Kakashi and the _Yondaime_ in the field of chakra and elemental manipulation though the jutsu doesn't appear to be finished just yet".

"He killed an S-Class nukenin in one attack?" Tsunade asked in disbelief hearing the retrieval team begin to whisper to each other.

"It gets better; apparently as a reward the Raikage proclaimed him as a Kitsune-Sennin along with his granddaughter and Naruto's new travelling companion the Neko-Sennin," the Gama-Sennin let what he had said sink into the group. "Even the _Uchiha_ has yet to be classified as S-Rank and it appears the brat already has quite a reputation in the ninja world. Especially since he invented an S-Ranked space/time jutsu on par with Minato's Hiraishin no Jutsu though it appears to be different but still give off something reminiscent of a yellow flash when used".

"What?" the Hokage gritted out, _'what the hell? He trained with Jiraiya for three years and there was barely any improvement other than Kyuubi's chakra and now…'_ "Did you train him at all in his training trip or something because from what you're telling me the kid has done more in a few weeks than he has grown stronger in the passed three years!" Tsunade growled out at him.

He simply stared at her before answering, "He needed something to fall back on so we worked on Kyuubi's power…in retrospect it was the wrong choice but it doesn't matter anymore," Jiraiya answered.

"Great," Tsunade muttered leaning back with a sigh.

"From what I hear he's being called quite a few names in the bingo books of other villages. Hell Iwa's bingo book states him as having flee-on-sight status being nicknamed the God of Flash and Kiri…I don't know why but they consider him an army not a man". Everyone was shocked to know he had become so famous away from Konoha and were even more shocked by what they learned next, "I also know where he's going".

Tsunade bolted up from her seat, "where? If we know where he's going we may be able to catch him".

The Gama-Sennin shook his head, "he's heading to Whirlpool Country".

Both Tsunade and Kakashi froze at that, "w-what did you say?" the Hokage stuttered gulping.

"His destination is Whirlpool Country," Jiraiya reiterated.

"Whirlpool Country? Where's that?" Asuma asked not understanding the place's significance, "I've never heard of it".

"Naruto…it's his mother's homeland and where Kyuubi no Kitsune was first spotted before it attacked Konoha," Kakashi answered seeing everyone's eyes widen; especially the adults in the room.

"There's more…Naruto has found out why he was chosen as Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki," the room suddenly went deathly quiet.

Nobody moved; Tsunade and Kakashi were staring at him in horror, "what do you mean?" Sakura was the one who asked.

"The Yondaime Hokage: Namikaze Minato was a man of honour; he wouldn't grab a random child and use him to defeat a demon knowing the life the boy would lead…not when his pregnant wife went into labour mere moments before Kyuubi attacked," Jiraiya spoke in utter serous making most of the room's occupants go pale, "in the next twenty-four hours the Raikage will let the world know that the only son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina has been banished from Konoha for simply being a Jinchuuriki".

"His full name is Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto…he's the son of the Yondaime Hokage and the Nidaime Uzukage," Tsunade finished solemnly shaking in fear.

After a few minutes of silence Kiba said barely above a whisper, "my god what have we done".

**Sound Country: Oto / Base Delta Five**

_Uchiha _Sasuke; the supposed _last _Uchiha in existence was not in a good mood. No; he was definitely in a foul mood after hearing that Naruto; the dobe, the dead-last, the one he thought of as beneath him had surpassed him yet again by gaining S-ranked status in the bingo book and taking down an Akatsuki member _before him_.

What's more; the dobe had apparently taken him down with just _one_ attack; something Sasuke was angered beyond measure at knowing none of his jutsu could do the amount of physical and area damage that Naruto's jutsu could do judging from the report. Naturally Orochimaru was also pissed at this; a one-shot-kill jutsu was something he'd always strived to learn and yet he could never find one. Now he had found it…but it was in the hands of someone he had considered a failure.

"Sasuke-kun, Kabuto," Orochimaru rasped. "Find that _boy_ and bring him to me". Kabuto nodded but Sasuke didn't comment, _'that jutsu will be mine'._

'_Dobe; I knew I should have killed you while I had the chance'._ the Uchiha thought darkly, _'now I will. Your life has been spared on a whim twice already; it shall not happen a third time'._

**Water Country: Beach**

Naruto had set off towards Water Country with his new travelling companion: Yugito and the girl's grandfather had given him two scrolls for jutsus he thought the two could use. It took a full day to get down the mountain and three more days of continuous travel to get to the border which was a river separating the two countries. Yugito now sported a dark purple cloak with the image of a cat with two tails over a red flame-covered sword emblazoned on its back and over that was the kanji for 'Cat Sage'.

The two had snuck into Water Country making sure to avoid the patrols (something Naruto knew how to do quite well considering his former career as a prankster). The two had stopped for a night in a nearby village but hurriedly left when a team of Kiri Chunin had appeared walking through the streets. The team hadn't spotted them but they didn't want to risk it and so proceeded at full speed towards the ocean at the other side of the country.

Of course they were mostly riding Tsukino the entire way there…

"We're almost there," the fox spoke notifying the two riding on her back as they travelled through the woods.

"I've never seen the ocean before," Yugito muttered.

"I've only saw it a few times…mostly on missions". Naruto commented from behind her, "It's one of the few things I actually find beautiful".

The now proclaimed Neko-Sennin didn't say anything to that as Tsukino finally came to a stop. Looking forward she saw they were standing on a hill at the edge of the forest and in front of them were the large open waters of the sea. Since it was midday the sun was high in the sky casting its glow across the water making it appear a bright blue.

The two then dismounted the fox taking a few steps in front of her, "thanks for the ride Tsukino-Chan; say hello to your father for me". Naruto said casting a look back.

"I'll do that; until next time Naruto-kun, Yugito-Chan," with that the fox promptly disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"Well what are we waiting for?" the Kumo nin asked walking down the hill towards the beach with Naruto following close behind.

* * *

In the trees just behind them appeared the remnants of the Konoha 11, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Asuma and Gai.

"There he is and it looks like his new partner is with him," Lee said quietly as to not give away their position.

"Partner is right; she smells like a cat yet she has the lingering smell of a fox," Kiba informed them.

Jiraiya cracked a smile, "you know if the situation weren't so serious I'd be proud of him for getting a girl; especially a blond".

"Why a blond?" Kakashi asked noticing the slightly angry looks on Sakura and Hinata's faces.

"Because blonds have more fun," Jiraiya told him before he settled into a neutral expression. "Jokes aside there's something that's scaring me at the moment".

"And what's that?" the copy-nin asked getting curious looks from the group having never seen the toad hermit look so serious.

"That girl…she looks like a teenage Tsunade," the Gama-Sennin stated with his eyes glued to the two forms below.

"Get ready to move out".

* * *

A few feet away Sasuke and Kabuto arrived only seeing Naruto and Yugito down below walking down the beach towards the ocean.

"This is our chance; we should catch them by surprise," Kabuto suggested caution.

"Humph; like that dobe stands a chance against me". Sasuke said insulted at the fact that the older of the two would suggest such a thing, "and there's no way a girl can face my power".

'_You arrogant little fool; underestimating your enemy is a sure way to get yourself killed'._

* * *

Stopping Naruto shot a look over at his companion and asked, "you do realise we're being watched right?" Up in the tree the two groups tensed and narrowed their eyes preparing to strike when they heard that.

Yugito nodded and replied happily, "yeah they're not very good".

Turning his head toward the end of the beach Naruto spoke barely above a whisper but everyone heard it, "well are you going to come out yet…Akatsuki?" Suddenly two figures rose up from the sand covered ground, "hello Itachi, Kisame".

"Hey brat; long time no see," the shark-man grinned shouldering his sword.

Itachi looked up revealing his Sharingan eyes, "I'm afraid the both of you will have to come with us Naruto-kun".

**Author's Notes:**

I'm ending it here; I hoped you liked it and its set the stage for a spectacular piece of the plan. However for the record I realise Sennin means Sage and Sannin means Legendary 3 Ninjas but if anyone starts complaining about the Sage Modes then I'll ask you right now. Has anyone noticed that all three of the Sannin have some bio-evolution form?

Let's see: Orochimaru can turn into a giant snake, Tsunade can cover herself in healing seals powered by her chakra crystal on her forehead and Jiraiya turns into a humanoid toad. What's to say that other summoning contracts don't grant their users abilities as well? That's why I'm calling these Sage Modes.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox

Neko = Cat

Sennin = Sage

Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere

Hiraishin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Technique

Not really much else to say other than please read and review.

See Ya Later…


	5. Battle on the Beach

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter5: Battle on the Beach

**Water Country: Seaside Beach**

The atmosphere in the area suddenly felt heavier, "hey brat; who's your girlfriend?" Kisame asked pointing at the Neko-Sennin.

"She's not my girlfriend," Naruto groaned.

"We're supposed to bring you in Naruto-kun," Itachi spoke in monotone but he seemed bored.

"I can tell you right now that is not going to happen," Naruto said simply with a wide smile.

Itachi sighed at that, "Alright then I guess we have to do this the hard way".

"You mean the fun way," Naruto and Kisame spoke at the same time.

Yugito looks over at the Kiri Nukenin and asks Naruto, "can I have fishcakes for dinner?"

"Only if you cook them yourself," the blond replied.

Kisame laughed, "so the girl's got spunk; you don't do anything half-assed do you brat?"

"Civilian girls are way to plain," that was apparently the wrong thing to say. "Then again I always did like the girls with _larger_ chakra reserves if you know what I mean".

Yugito whacked him over the head, "Hentai".

"It appears you have inherited your mother's inability to keep her mouth closed," Itachi crumbled shaking his head.

"Are we going to start already? I'm getting bored," of course it was Kisame that said this.

"Don't underestimate us," Naruto told him. "If you do you won't last long".

"This'll be fun," the swordsman said readying his sword.

There was a booming sound as Yugito shot forward indicating she had crossed the sound barrier. Her target was Kisame; the swordsman grinned and moved to intercept with his sword at his side. She flew at Kisame; as in literally flew. A stream of jet blue flames were erupting from her feet propelling her in a single direction (if you know what rocket boots are; think that but with fire elemental manipulation).

"Come here girly!" Kisame stopped and brought up his sword.

"Kaizuki!" the Neko-Sennin shouted and her right arm was covered in super-heated flames just before she was in front of him.

There was a loud _clang_ as her fire covered arm clashed with the swordsman's blade, "not bad". The nukenin smirked and pulled back just to launch forward again.

Yugito parried and suddenly her other arm was covered in flames as well, "I'm better than you think! Tsuin Kaizuki!"

While this was going on Naruto appeared behind Itachi in a flash of yellow, _'Shunpo no Jutsu'._

Itachi barely registered the movement until the last moment and promptly dodged the next strike,_ 'he's faster than before'._ The Uchiha Murderer traded blows while moving backwards but was surprised to feel a painful stinging sensation after even a graze from Naruto's attack,_ 'what is that? Some form of Ninjutsu? It's dangerous to fight him at close range'._ Skidding away he start making hand-seals before inhaling a large breath, "Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" a large ball of fire was exhaled from his mouth and accelerated towards Naruto.

Said blond merely took the hit dead center, "is that the best you got?" The Kitsune-Sennin held out his arm and the flames were blown out by a blast of wind, "at least try and make me break a sweat".

Itachi let an amused smirk cross his face, "very well". His Sharingan shifted into its true form: the Mangekyo Sharingan, "look into my eyes Naruto-kun". Unfortunately that's exactly what our hero did "Tsukuyomi!"

Naruto froze suddenly finding himself in a distorted world where the colours were inverted, "I am not going to play games with you Itachi!" In the real world there was an echoing pulse as a wave of pure chakra shot out form Naruto's body and continued for about ten feet before dissipating, "Chakra Nami!" Itachi narrowed his eyes as he saw Naruto raise his head towards him and glared, "you didn't really think I wouldn't have developed a counter to Genjutsu since our last battle?"

The older Uchiha smirked, "hn…I had my hopes".

* * *

In the trees above the beach the retrieval team and Oto team watched in shocked silence. Jiraiya and Kakashi especially knowing the extents of Tsukuyomi; they couldn't believe their eyes at the level the four were fighting at. Sasuke was seething in rage since even with his Sharingan was activated he couldn't copy any of the four's jutsus. They weren't using hand-seals to use their jutsu; they just executed them perfectly without much effort and so the Sharingan wasn't able to copy them.

The most frustrating part for the young Uchiha though was the fact that even after everything that had happened and all the training he had had the dobe was still Itachi's objective. Oh he knew it was because of Kyuubi but the fact that the dobe was suddenly a lot stronger than their last battle and appeared to match Itachi at every turn.

Something he doubted even himself could do just yet, _'damn you; you've surpassed me again'._ Sasuke snarled at the thought though outwardly he kept a calm face.

Kabuto on the other hand merely watched in fear as the four below exchanged blows, _'this isn't the Naruto-kun we faced at the Heaven and Earth Bridge; he's equal with Itachi when even Orochimaru-sama wasn't and he's not even using Kyuubi's chakra…'_

* * *

"Kisame break off," Itachi ordered getting a nod from his partner. As the swordsman broke away from his fight Itachi turned his powerful eyes on the teenage girl, "Amaterasu!" black flames of death shot out towards her at insane speed.

'_Got to stop it! Shunpo no Jutsu!' _in a flash of yellow Naruto appeared at her side and raised his hand. "Futon: Rasen," a large plate in the image of a spiral made out of pure chakra and wind materialized to protect the two from harm.

The flames hit dead center and Kisame smirked, "this is getting interesting".

"That defensive jutsu's original purpose must have been to deflect Amaterasu," Itachi mused watching as the flames died down revealing Naruto and Yugito unharmed.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Yugito grinned.

_Sage Mode Activated_

The ground shook as both Naruto and Yugito shifted into their respective forms with the sand under them suddenly shifting slightly with a loud roar. Their now slitted eyes held no fear of the two and Kisame couldn't help but grin even as a shockwave washed over the area snuffing out the black flames of Amaterasu.

"Finally getting serious? About time brats" the audience were shocked when Kisame said that.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," two clones appeared at the Kitsune-Sennin's side.

'_Two clones aren't going to do anything_ _against them,'_ thought everyone in the audience but the two Akatsuki members' faces had suddenly gotten serious.

Yugito held up her hand to the sky and suddenly the temperature in the area had increased drastically forming dark clouds of thunder above them. Her hand was suddenly engulfed in fire once more but this one was a lot bigger and gave off a lot more heat than the previous stage. Naruto held out his hand and the clones start pouring in their chakra and wind elemental power. A bell-like screech echoed through the area as the ball of chakra in his hand suddenly formed four small wind blades around its surface. Holding the jutsu up the wind blade expanded taking the shape of a large shuriken.

"That cannot be good for my health," Kisame commented tensing.

'_So these are the Kitsune and Neko Sennin,'_ Itachi thought narrowed his eyes. _'As long as we can dodge those jutsu we'll be okay; Hidan did say they were close-range jutsus'._

Yes that's what he and Kisame would do; dodge them both and then move in for the kill…sadly that wasn't meant to happen.

"Futon:…" Naruto began not taking his eyes off of Itachi. Twisting his body he threw the jutsu like he would a regular shuriken, "…Rasenshuriken!"

"Katon:…" Yugito shot her flame covered hand out like she would a punch, "…Dai Kaizuki!" The blade of fire shot out like a lance in a compressed beam of superheated magma.

* * *

"They threw them!" Kiba exclaimed.

Everyone's eyes widened upon seeing the powerful jutsus being sent at the Akatsuki duo.

"How can they use something so condensed and in the Rasengan's case quick spinning chakra at that range? It shouldn't be possible; the amount of concentration should be too much for anyone to handle," Kakashi watched in pure shock feeling rather than seeing such powerful attacks being used.

"With those two jutsus…I don't think they can lose," Jiraiya watched silently. _'Good luck Naruto'._

* * *

"Dodge!" Kisame shouted seeing the danger and tried to jump away narrowly missing the edge of the fire blade that had come at him. He rolled away feeling an intense blast of heat wash over him as he saw the ground where he stood a moment ago turn to glass under the extreme temperature, "well fuck".

Itachi saw the chakra shuriken come closer and closer at an alarming speed, _'I must act quickly, something like that would kill even me'._ As he dodged he made a single shadow clone poof into existence, _'I hope this works'. _The clone grabbed him and through him away from the shuriken just as it passed within a few feet of the clone, _'this will be close…'_ The chakra shuriken exploded in a large ball of tornado of wind destroying the clone and everything else within its twenty meter radius, _'incredible'. _Itachi slammed into the hardened sand and rolled back to his feet and continued running feeling the wind from the tornado/sphere trying to pull him back, _'it's trying to pull me in'. _The jutsu suddenly exploded in a repulsion of wind throwing Itachi ten feet before he finally came to a stop panting slightly, "now I see how Kakuzu was defeated; of course it would take something like that to bring him down".

Naruto just grinned as he replied, "you dodged it…I shouldn't really be surprised". The two shadow clones beside him suddenly started charging another jutsu, "but I doubt you can dodge me forever; eventually I'll get you".

"Who wants fishcakes?" Kisame watched in frustration as Yugito's arm was engulfed in flames once more. "Katon: Dai Kaizuki!" the flames shot out in a condensed stream of heat.

"Not again," the Mist Swordsman growled performing a series of hand-seals. "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" a large wave of water rose from the sea and met the blade of fire half way cancelling each other out, _'Grr…that was too close'._

The Kumo nin narrowed her eyes at the shark-man, _'he used a water jutsu to neutralise it; of course since fire is weak against water-based attacks a lower level water jutsu would be able to stand up to a higher level fire jutsu'._

"Futon: Rasenshuriken!" Naruto threw another attack at Itachi hoping to catch him this time.

This time however Itachi was ready for it…

"Amaterasu!" a series of black flames shot out from the Uchiha's eyes and intercepted the incoming jutsu causing it to detonate prematurely in a vacuum of wind and flames. Both of them were blown away from each other breathing hard, _'I can't keep this up for much longer. He may not be as strong as me or have as much experience but he's holding his own with stamina alone'._

Kisame had known this too and knowing that at long ranges his opponent was deadly he shot towards Yugito at full speed bringing his sword to bear on her. She ducked under the swing only to roll out of the way as he brought the blade down on her blowing up the sand as it touched the ground. The Neko-Sennin parried another swing with her flame covered arm and knocked him away.

"Raikyu!" she shouted hurling a ball of lightning at the Kiri nukenin.

* * *

"They seem to be evenly matched," Kakashi observed, "he's surpassed me".

"Are you kidding? I think he's almost surpassed _me_ when I was in my prime". Jiraiya couldn't help but grin at seeing his student progress this far in such a short amount of time, "I couldn't be prouder".

"Should we jump in now?" Kiba asked slightly fearful seeing the devastating jutsus the two sides were throwing around.

"…Do you want to be caught in the crossfire?" Shino asked him as if he were stupid.

After a few moments of silence it was clear there wasn't going to be an answer…

* * *

The ball of lightning hit Kisame dead center in the chest and lightning exploded in all directions, "heh heh, I gotcha". 'Kisame' however just grinned before he turned to water dropping to the sand covered ground, "what?!"

She felt a presence behind her and turned swiftly but it was already too late, "Suiro no Jutsu". Before she could react Yugito was encased in a ball of moving water with Kisame standing beside it holding it with his hand, "I have you now little girl".

Skidding to a stop both Naruto and Itachi caught a quick glance at their partners, "It appears your partner has been caught Naruto-kun; surrender now and you shall not be harmed" the Uchiha told him.

He was surprised to hear Naruto chuckle in response, "yeah about that offer…I think I'll pass and as for Yugito; she's got him right where she wants him". Itachi narrowed his eyes only for it to widen as Naruto appears in front of him holding a ball of swirling chakra, "your fight is with me! Rasengan!"

Itachi's hand was suddenly encased in electricity and he moved to parry the attack, "Chidori".

* * *

Sasuke seethed in rage at seeing Itachi use _his_ jutsu, _'Itachi! You…you…you copied my jutsu?!'_

'_Oh dear; Orochimaru-sama isn't going to like this at all,'_ Kabuto watched in disgust.

* * *

"You can't escape now little girl," the swordsman held up his free hand holding his sword, "any last words?"

"Yeah I got two for you; Chidori Nagashi!" Yugito's body was suddenly engulfed in electricity shocking the water and by proxy Kisame himself. The mist nukenin let out a yelp of pain as he was blown back with both of them panting hard, "I got the idea from one of Naruto's stories he told me about…heh heh; you like it?"

"You little bitch," Kisame growled trying to catch his breath.

"Go fuck yourself," was all Yugito said while channelling more chakra to her arm forming a blade of flames to encase it.

'_There's not enough time to use Suiton: __Daibakufu no Jutsu__; guess I've got to dodge instead,'_ Kisame jumped high into the air hoping to dodge the jutsu he knew was coming.

"Katon: Dai Kaizuki!" the Neko-Sennin yelled unleashing her jutsu at the swordsman.

A water clone suddenly appeared at his side and pulled him out of the line of fire as it shot passed him heading up into the sky above.

Touching back down he grinned, "you missed" he said simply.

"Who says I was aiming for you?" Yugito asked innocently causing the swordsman to narrow his eyes at her. The sky suddenly darkened above them with large thunder clouds forming.

Itachi skidded to a halt not too far away and with wide eyes looked up at the sky and then at Kisame, "shit". Needing to act fast he moved towards his partner having an idea of what was coming, "Kisame! Get down!" The swordsman looked confused before he was tackled to the floor "Susanoo!"

"Raiton: Kirin!"

Up in the trees the Konoha retrieval team were having a hard time remaining standing after a large dog like monster made of lightning shot down from the sky and hit the beach with a thunderous blast sending massive amounts of heat and shockwaves for a hundred feet almost blowing them away even at the range they were at.

* * *

"W-what the hell was that?" Kiba asked in fear at seeing such a monstrous jutsu.

'_Damn kid you sure know how to pick them,'_ Jiraiya gulped remembering when he first saw Tsunade's super strength. _'Though I think you have a mother complex,'_ he let a perverted grin cross his face.

Not too far away Sasuke clenched his fists in anger, _'that cloud bitch! That is my jutsu! Mine! It's bad enough I'm being upstaged by the dobe but now this no-name bitch?! Even if I did copy the jutsu from a Kumo nin they should know that such power belongs to me! An Uchiha!'_ (**Note:** Superiority complex in its finest)

Kabuto on the other hand, _'it would be foolish to take them without reinforcement'._ He seemed particularly annoyed, _'though should the opportunity present itself we could capture the two'._

* * *

'_Note to self: don't get on her bad side,'_ Naruto thought with a sweat-drop. Hearing a groan from the crater that was all that was left he blew away the smoke using a jutsu he had gotten from the Raikage before they left Kumo, "Futon: Daitoppa". After the smoke and dust was cleared both Akatsuki members were clearly seen, "are you two still alive?" He heard a groan in response, "oh good your still alive; that means we can finish this". As the two Akatsuki members staggered to their feet they suddenly went on edge when they heard the distinctive bell-like screech, "Futon: Rasenshuriken!" they looked up to see the jutsu sailing towards them spinning frantically as it moved.

"Kisame; we leave," Itachi ordered and his partner nodded.

The two dived into the ocean disappearing under the water as Naruto's jutsu expanded upon contact in a ball of wind and water before finally exploding with great force. Touching down beside him Yugito shot him a questionable look only for him to shake his head in reply; the message was clear.

"They got away; let them go," Naruto told her. "We're in no shape to pursue them anyways; we used our jutsus at their strongest level three times each so we can't hold our Sage Modes much longer".

"So what now?" the Neko-Sennin asked trying to catch her breath.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Kichi no Gama; Tatsu no Gama," following Naruto's exclamation were two poofs of smoke signifying a summoning.

"Naruto? Huh? What the hell? Why did you wait until now to summon us?! We've been worried you idiot!" Gamakichi shouted getting ready to tackle him.

Naruto held up his hands, "sorry I've been sort of busy".

The older of the two toad princes was about to yell at him again when he took notice of the blond girl beside him, "hey Naruto? Who's the babe and what is she doing with you?"

Yugito's eyes flashed in anger, "don't call be babe; you Ero-Gama!" there was a resounding slap as Gamakichi was sent flying with a hand mark on his face.

Naruto gulped looking at his partner in slight fear, "hey Naruto; can I have some candy?" Gamatatsu asked in a childish tone.

"Err…yeah; if you can give us a lift?" Naruto half-asked/half-answered.

The younger toad prince nodded and turned to the ocean, "sure thing as long as I get some candy".

Naruto turned to the Kumo nin and simply stared expectantly, "you can't be serious?" Yugito asked not wanting to ride on a toad. Naruto nodded in reply and she sighed in defeat, "fine; at least this one is the lesser of two evils".

She climbed on as Naruto turned to Gamakichi, "do you mind if I get a lift?"

The elder toad prince just sighed and pointed up at his back, "climb on".

The moment he did the two toads carried the passengers onto the water and out to sea…

* * *

"We're leaving; there's no reason to stay here any longer," Jiraiya told the group.

Before Sakura could say anything Kakashi interrupted, "agreed; we'd lose them in the ocean".

"We should report back to Hokage-sama right away on this development," Yamato commented and suddenly the group was gone…

* * *

"Come Sasuke-kun; we're leaving," Kabuto told him making the Uchiha glare at him.

"Why are we not going after them?" he sneered.

The medic-nin just smiled, "pursuing them out at sea would be utter foolishness; you know that".

"I need more power," Sasuke's sneer never left him as the two left. _'Dobe…I will kill you for this humiliation'._

**Author's Notes:**

Alright this is chapter five and the end of the first arc of this fanfic; I hoped you enjoyed it because _this_ chapter didn't want to be written. I know some of you are thinking I made Sasuke a little too emo and power hungry but to me (and so many others) that's basically what he has always been like. Oh and if even one of you comment about the Kirin being Sasuke's move or about the weather conditions it has I will tell you (kindly) to go fuck yourself.

The Kirin is a _lightning_ jutsu and I doubt Sasuke made it on his own; he probably stole it off of a Kumo nin. That's what I believe anyways…I mean come on don't you think _someone_ from Kumo would have thought of using natural lightning as a Jutsu?

As for the weather condition…that's what Katon: Dai Kaizuki was used for (though it only works when launched at the sky).

Concerning the Sage Modes; just because Naruto and Yugito can access them doesn't mean they can use them to their fullest just yet. Also there will be jutsu that the two are going to create and learn but for this chapter they just finished off the jutsus they had that weren't completed.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox

Neko = Cat

Sennin = Sage

Kaizuki = Fire Blade

Tsuin Kaizuki = Twin Fire Blade

Shunpo no Jutsu = Flash Step Technique

Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere

Chidori = Thousand Birds

Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

Tsukuyomi = Moon Reader

Chakra Nami = Chakra Wave

Amaterasu = Illuminating Heaven

Futon: Rasen = Wind Release: Spiral

Susanoo = He with the ability to help by all means

Futon: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken

Katon: Dai Kaizuki = Fire Release: Big Fire Blade

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique

Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu = Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique

Raikyu = Lightning Ball

Suiro no Jutsu = Water Prison Technique

Chidori Nagashi = Thousand Birds Current

Raiton: Kirin = Lightning Release: Qilin (According Wikipedia this is its translation)

Futon: Daitoppa = Wind Release: Great Breakthrough

Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Summoning Technique

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later…


	6. The Last Message

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter6: The Last Message

**Fire Country: Hokage's Office**

"Alright start from the beginning again please," Tsunade rubbed her eyes feeling her stress building.

"Naruto and that girl with him; Yugito I think her name was were able to match Itachi and Kisame blow for blow throughout the entire confrontation. There teamwork was brilliant; they covered each other's weaknesses perfectly making sure neither of them took any potentially fatal damage," Jiraiya explained in a reporting tone.

"What level would you say they're at?" the Hokage asked knowing the council would just love this news.

"…Sannin easily; borderline low-Kage if they were to use those Sage Modes of theirs," the Gama-Sennin mused.

"Sage Mode? Where'd they get them from?" Tsunade asked narrowing her eyes at her former team-mate.

"Well we know they signed summoning contracts with the Kitsune and the Nekomata so probably from them," Jiraiya answered. "You know all summoners have their own versions of Sage Mode once they reach a certain level".

"Excuse me? What's Sage Mode?" Sakura asked never having heard of it before in all her years of studying under the Hokage.

Jiraiya looked at her for a moment before explaining, "I suppose you could call it a right of succession for becoming a sage; a summoned race like the toads for example are able to give their summoners a means to increase their overall abilities and once a Sage Mode is triggered would signify a new sage being born. Each summoning contract has a different set of skills and abilities not to mention the risk involved in each one".

"Risk?" Sakura asked slightly worried.

"Well depending on the Sage Mode it could very well end up backfiring and harming its user or worse; that's the reason I didn't teach it to Naruto during our three years away. If I did he might have turned into a toad statue," explained the Gama-Sennin before he pointed his thumb at the Hokage. "Hers grants her the ability to heal from just about anything making her virtually un-killable for as long as it's active; it's a more stable and powerful version of her Kinjutsu". Most of the room's occupants seemed surprised at this "mine grants me access to a set of jutsu called Senjutsu and physical strength far surpassing that of any normal man. Like I said it boosts a person's power a hundredfold putting you on par with a Kage".

"When Sarutobi-sensei used his Monkey Sage Mode he was once able to fight off the other four Kages by himself and because of his unmatched strength he was nicknamed the God of Shinobi," Tsunade added.

"Yeah the old pervert was invincible; he could decimate an entire army by himself in a matter of minutes rivalling that of Minato's raw power with his Hiraishin no Jutsu," Jiraiya grinned remembering the many battles his sensei had gotten in during the wars.

"What about you Kakashi-sensei? You've got a dog summoning contract right?" Sakura asked remembering seeing her sensei summon before.

The copy-nin nodded and replied simply, "I was unable to complete the training to become an Inu-Sennin because of my Sharingan eye; it interfered with the sage mode activation process".

Jiraiya and Tsunade nodded in agreement, "of course since the Sharingan bloodline is not a part of your regular DNA it couldn't work properly".

Kakashi sighed still reading his orange book, "It can't be helped".

"What about you Gai-Sensei?" Tenten asked remembering the man also had a summing contract.

"I also have a summoning contract with the tortoises but I turned the offer down wanting to be a Taijutsu specialist," Gai answered truthfully.

"Anyway; even if I were to use my Toad Sage Mode I think even I would be hard pressed to defeat either of them now. I'd be able to win don't get me wrong but that would only be because I have more experience than either of them," the Gama-Sennin finished. "I'll tell you right now facing them both _together_ would be utter suicide…even for me".

"Very well; your all dismissed until further notice," Tsunade sighed and the retrieval team bowed before leaving with only Jiraiya remaining. "Is something wrong?"

"…On our way back to Konoha I stopped by one of my spy circles; they've found a led on Akatsuki's base of operations and their leader…I'm going to go and check it out".

**Whirlpool Country: Unknown Location**

They had been travelling for three full days before they finally reached their destination; the island was massive surrounded on all sides by hundreds of small whirlpools preventing any access by ship. Fortunately both of the toad princes were able to ferry the two blonds to the island though they were exhausted by the end of it (though Gamatatsu was more than happy when he got given some candy).

The two summoned creatures had decided to stick around wanting to continue on with them; as the group proceeded inland the four had begun training themselves whenever they stopped but kept on guard should they find anything dangerous. The island however was nothing like they had thought it was…the forests, the fields, hell even the ground itself looked and felt dead.

"What is this?" Yugito asked looking around at the silent forest they stood in.

"Everything here is dead," said Naruto.

"There's no life anywhere," Gamakichi spoke in a saddened tone examining the ground. "What could have done this?"

"I think I might have an idea," Naruto answered. _'Kyuubi? If you can hear me then do you mind explaining?' _After a few moments of silence it was clear he was not going to get an answer, "let's keep moving".

The group walked for another thirty minutes before something odd happened; Yugito hit an invisible wall.

And fell down…

"Ow," she winced covering her nose. "What the hell just happened?"

"Yugito; you alright?" Naruto asked helping her up.

"Yeah but I think I just walked into something," she answered checking to see if there was any blood.

"There's nothing there Yugito," the Kitsune-Sennin told her looking at where she was walking.

"I'm telling you something's there," she growled in frustration.

"Err…Naruto?" Gamakichi asked seemingly tapping the air itself, "that's solid".

Putting up his hand Naruto touched whatever it was feeling a seemingly invisible flat surface in air, "is that a Genjutsu?"

"It would have dispelled if it were; I think it's a barrier," Yugito told him.

Naruto nodded, "alright; let's see if we can crack it".

"And how do we do that?" asked the elder toad prince.

The newly nicknamed God of Flash just grinned like a fox, "by blasting it with everything we have of course…hey; Gamatatsu". He turned to the yellow toad, "how about we test out that new jutsu we've been working on?"

The younger toad prince smiled widely and nodded turning to where the barrier was, "whenever you're ready".

"Yugito, Gamakichi; get behind us," Naruto ordered and the two followed it. Gamatatsu charged himself full of chakra and inhaled a large amount of water vapour from the air liquefying it in his mouth, "alright let's do this". Naruto charged chakra to his hand merging it with Gamatatsu's and pressed his hand to the toad's back, "now! Futon: Gama Teppō!" he called out as the younger toad let loose a massive blast of water from his mouth in a stream.

The blast hit the invisible barrier with tremendous force and sprayed across the entire area until a rather loud sound of glass shattering echoed through the countryside. As the mist cleared structures could clearly be seen; most of which were ruins but there were a few that were still standing…like a certain tower in the center which could be seen even at their distance.

"Err…if you don't need us anymore Naruto I think we'll be going; dad's probably worried about us," Gamakichi spoke up getting their attention.

"Yeah we should be fine from here on out; thanks for the help guys," the Kitsune-Sennin thanked.

"Anytime," Gamakichi waved before he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"I'm hungry," Gamatatsu whined before disappearing as well.

Naruto sighed before turning to his companion, "well are we going?" When she nodded in reply they continued on inside.

"This place is more like a graveyard than a hidden village," the Neko-Sennin shivered as they walked down the street. "That or a ghost town".

Naruto shivered when she said that, "please don't say that".

"You're not afraid of ghosts are you Naruto?" she asked slyly.

"N-no I'm not," he answered quickly shaking his head.

"Right," she spoke in sarcasm as they continued walking. After a few minutes of walking through the deserted village they arrived at the wall surrounding the tower like a barrier taking notice that the entire place looked to be ready to collapse, "nice place for a vacation huh?" even an idiot could tell she was being sarcastic.

He didn't say anything to that but instead jumped over the wall and spotted the entrance along with something else. She jumped down beside him a moment later and looked at what had made her partner stop. Right in front of the entrance was a small platform in the shape of a spiral…in its center however standing straight up in its pedestal was what caught their eye.

It was a sword…a double-edged sword.

She had never seen a weapon so beautiful in her life; the sword's handle was plated crimson and the blade itself was an eerily silver with its edges seeming to shine in the daylight sun. Without a word Naruto stepped towards the platform and raises his hand to touch the sword when it suddenly seemed to pulse like it was alive. He jumped back as a ball of red light shot out from the handle and hovered before them.

'_Some kind of booby-trap?'_ Yugito asked in thought as the two nins thought get ready to fight if necessary. They didn't need to however as the light seemed to expand and brightened; they took note of a figure standing in the light, _'what is that?'_

The light died down revealing a long red-haired woman who looked about twenty-five years old dressed in Kage robes and wearing a light blue hat with the kanji for 'whirlpool' written on it. She raised her head revealing her face from under the wide hat; she was beautiful and seemed to radiate a sense of authority with a hint of childishness.

The woman looked over at the two and her eyes widened at the teenage boy, "Minato-kun? Is that you?"

Naruto took a step back when she reached out a hand towards him, "w-who are you? How do you know my father?" The woman stopped at that and Yugito stared intently trying to analyze the red-headed beauty, "if you're here to take revenge or some crap on me to get back at dad then speak up before we kick your ass lady".

"Y-your father but that would mean…" her eyes suddenly widened in recognition and she smiled at the boy's attitude, "…your Naruto".

"Answer the question! Who are you?" Naruto almost shouted though his partner seemed to relax.

"That attitude; I used to be like that when I was younger," the woman removed her head and cleared the red hair from her face. "My name is Uzumaki Kushina; I am the Nidaime Uzukage of Uzugakure no Sato and…your mother".

The two teens were left speechless…

"M-mom?" was all the blond male could get out before taking another step back, "no; you can't be here! You're supposed to be dead!"

"Erm…Naruto," the Neko-Sennin said nervously catching his attention. "She's not really here; I can't sense anything from her…she's not real".

"I'll have you know I am very real," Kushina spoke in an annoyed tone before she grabbed the younger girl by the shoulders and smiled, "see?"

"But you have no life readings! I can't sense you meaning you can't be alive! It's against the laws of nature," Yugito argued still trying to find the woman's signature but finding none.

"That's because I'm already dead," the red-head smiled sadly and put the girl down. She sighed and turned to the blond boy, "what you see now is nothing more than dust and echoes". She suddenly grabbed him and pulled him close, "my how you've grown Naruto".

"Can't breathe mom," he rasped out before she let go letting him gasping for air.

She waved her hand dismissively before turning to the blond girl, "err…do I know you miss?"

Yugito looked a bit embarrassed before she bowed and stated her name, "sorry Uzumaki-sama; my name is Nii Yugito".

"She's travelling with me," Naruto stepped in.

Kushina looked the girl over a few times before she sent a suspicious look at the fox-boy, "you…it appears you take after Minato-kun in more than just looks Naru-Chan".

Both teen blushed at that with Naruto's arms shaking in protest, "we're not like that; honest".

"Yeah who would want this guy? He's a total idiot!" Yugito shouted pulling on her fellow blonde's cheeks.

"I take great offence to that," Naruto grumbled after she let go.

"Really? Good!" she shouted happily only making him pout more.

"Oh my," Kushina giggled at their antics. "My mistake then".

After they had calmed down they had fallen into silence until…

"Are you really my mom? Are you really Uzumaki Kushina?" Naruto asked staring at the woman intently.

"I am but yet I'm not; it's hard to explain. I suppose you could say that the original Uzumaki Kushina was my creator," the red-head tried to clarify.

"What do you mean creator?" Yugito asked confused, "are you some kind of Genjutsu?"

The older woman smiled and shook her head before explaining, "I'm a copy of her; a shadow clone would be an adequate description. But unlike a shadow clone I can last forever as long as I don't use chakra or complete or fail any order I am given".

"Order? What was the order your creator gave you?" Yugito asked.

'Kushina' just sighed before answering, "the original Kushina created me so that if anything ever happened to her than I'd act as a sort of 'last will and testament'".

The two teens took a step back, "last will?" Naruto asked barely above a whisper.

The red-head smiled, "she used every trick she knew and more just encase…it was her greatest achievement and her last".

"…Why?" the Kitsune-Sennin asked plagued with that single question.

Kushina answered with a wide smile and her eyes closed, "because she left me to deliver a few words for the son she never saw".

"Mom…" Naruto didn't know what to say.

Her image suddenly flickered, "oh dear; it appears I used more power than I thought". Kushina shook her head, "it looks like I have less time than I would have liked so I'll have to make this quick".

"Mom can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied. "What do you wish to know?"

"…I want to know why Kyuubi attacked both Fire Country and Whirlpool Country?" Naruto asked/stated surprising Yugito.

'_He never mentioned that…though I didn't actually ask him why we're here,'_ the blond girl thought looking between him and the now seemingly saddened copy of his mother.

"I-it's all our fault," she finally rasped out meeting his gaze. "Kyuubi attacked because it was trying to kill both Minato and I". The two teens stared at her surprised, "Kyuubi was sent to kill us by his summoner while I was pregnant with you Naruto".

"Wait--someone _summoned _the Kyuubi? As in the supposed walking natural disaster Kyuubi no Kitsune?" Yugito asked completely freaked at this piece of information.

_Your eyes reek of a chakra far fouler than my own; it reminds me of Uchiha Madara…_

Naruto grabbed a hold of the older woman's shoulders and asked in an almost frightened tone, "what was the summoner's name? Please tell me!"

Kushina shook her head, "I don't know; we never got his name. We didn't even see his real face; he always wore a mask".

He let go of her and asked, "Where can I find him?"

She shook her head again and answered plainly, "I don't know but even if you did you wouldn't be able to kill him or even touch him. He managed to hold his own against both Minato and I together; he saw through everything we did and we could barely even touch him. He had some kind of defence that made him invulnerable to almost everything we threw at him".

"So I guess even the Rasengan wasn't enough?" Naruto half-asked.

"Rasengan? How do you know about that jutsu?" red-head asked in surprise.

The blond boy just sighed and formed a ball of spinning chakra in his hand, "Ero-Sennin taught it to me three years ago".

Kushina just remained silent for a few moments with eyes wide before asking, "you learned it three years ago? You look about sixteen…h-how long did it take you to master that jutsu?"

"Three weeks to learn it and another week to master…it wasn't even field-tested until I shoved it in a bad guy's gut at the end of the final week; you should have seen the look on his face when I blasted him into a boulder," Naruto told her with a grin when he .remembered how he won the necklace that was around his neck.

Kushina herself and even Yugito were stunned at that; the Rasengan was an A-Ranked Jutsu designed by the supposed strongest Hokage in history which took him three years to create and the Gama-Sennin a full year to learn. For a child no older than thirteen to master a jutsu of that level and in the time he did was unheard of by either of the two females.

"I must say…that is surprising," Kushina finally managed to say having recovered from what she had learned and smiled at the boy. She sighed once again before continuing knowing they were getting off of track, "anyway; yes even the Rasengan wasn't able to hit the guy though Minato did manage to land a few blows with his experimental Rasengan".

"You mean an elemental one?" Naruto asked.

She turned to him wide-eyed, "how do you know about that?"

He seemed annoyed now, "well let's see I've been slugging around a Futon: Rasengan for just under two months since I was banished". It wasn't his fault but he let slip a very dangerous piece of information in that sentence…

"You were what?!" Kushina exploded grabbing his collar, "what do you mean you were banished?!"

As the saying goes 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' especially from a redhead.

"W-well I was thrown out because I lost control of the furball awhile back against Orochimaru and got one of my team-mates injured," he saddened as he remembered his pink-haired former team-mate.

Kushina dropped him and looked away, "they…Minato you idiot!" She sent a punch at a nearby wall causing it collapse from the impact, "that stupid fool; I told him not to put too much faith in the people but would he listen…nooooo". She shook her head, "I knew it; it wasn't bad enough he split the seal in two but he went and put his faith in the people again only to have our son pay the price".

It appeared Itachi was right…Naruto did inherit his inability to keep his mouth shut from his mother.

In the middle of her rant she had mentioned one very important detail, "Hey what do you mean my seal's split it two?" Naruto nearly shouted in surprise.

The red-head stopped her rant and looked at him with a pale face, "you err…heard that?" she asked.

He gritted his teeth in response, "loud and clear".

Kushina gulped, "yeah about the seal…it only contains and filters half of Kyuubi's power and soul so he is naturally evil all of the time".

"Excuse me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" it was Yugito that asked; after all being the Jinchuuriki of the Queen of the Damned you learned a few things about souls. One of which is knowing that you can't split a soul into good and evil; it's not possible, "separating a soul into good and evil creates instability. Why would you do something like that? It goes against the laws of nature; you can't have one without the other so why would you even attempt such a thing?"

Kushina scratched her head nervously before answering, "well…the only things that can hurt that masked guy were my sword, Minato's unstable 'Futon: Rasengan' and highly condensed attacks like those from the Biju".

"…So you wanted me to use it as a weapon just encase?" Naruto asked thinking over what she had said.

Kushina nodded in reply before explaining further, "yes…the seal can be completed once again if you were to summon the Key Toad Minato entrusted the key to…I think his name was Gerotora…you do have the Toad Summoning Contract…right?" When he nodded she continued, "the Key Seal he holds is meant to restore the seal to maximum power and fuse the Kyuubi back together into one being once more allowing you to control more tails of power though you can still be overloaded because of the pain involved".

"Wait I can control more tails?" he asked stunned that little bit of information.

"Well yes in theory though it would be up to you to control it; it's like a kunai in the aspect that if the wielder is not strong enough the weapon will be nothing more than that," the red-head said knowingly. "Speaking of weapons," she turned towards the sword lodged in the spiral pedestal. "This weapon here was my personal sword…our family sword".

"Wait, I thought you said your sword could hit Kyuubi's last summoner through his defences…is this it?" Yugito asked circling around the pedestal.

Kushina nodded, "it is the Sword of the Whirlpool and only ever wielded by the heir to the Uzumaki clan throughout each generation". She turned to Naruto and smiled, "this sword is the pride and joy of our clan; as the only remaining heir to the clan it belongs to you so treat it well".

"This is sword is…mine?" asked the Kitsune-Sennin as he stared at the blade.

Kushina chuckled before nudging him towards the weapon, "go on…claim your inheritance".

He stepped in front of the sword looking down at its handle seeing the light reflect off of it; Yugito watched with a small smile as he rapped his hands around its hilt and in one quick motion pulled it out of the pedestal. A gust of wind wizzed through the area as two images appeared on the blade; on one side was the picture of a toad decked out in a long coat with a dagger in hand and a small smoking pipe in its mouth. One the other side was the image of a roaring orange fox with nine tails.

A light suddenly shot out from the sword and hit Yugito; for a moment nothing happened until the light dimmed and a beautiful golden bow appeared in her hands with a spiral carved over the image of a cat with two tails engraved into the weapon. Before either of the two teens could say a word both weapons disappeared in two flashes of lights each; they noticed that on the back of both of their right hands were storage seals in the shape of spirals.

"What…just happened?" the Kumo nin asked looking at the back of her hand.

"I must be leaving now I'm afraid…good luck". Kushina smiled sadly but slightly hopeful at the two, "summon those weapons like you would any other…with a few choice words and a little faith".

"We'll do that…thanks mom," Naruto clenched his fists as he watched the last legacy of his mother fade away from existence. "I…I'll make you proud".

"You already have," and then she was gone; faded away into memory forever lost to the world of the living.

After she had disappeared Yugito looks from the spot the red-head had stood towards her partner, "so… what will you do now?"

"I…want to leave," he finally answers looking at his hand. "There is nothing left for me here now".

The Neko-Sennin nodded and looked around, "…where are we going?"

Naruto thought about for a moment before he answered, "I know exactly where we can go; Wave Country".

**Author's Notes:**

And there's another chapter…well this ends the Journey to Whirlpool Arc and begins the Hunter and the Hunted Arc with an extremely large chapter of 14 pages.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox

Neko = Cat

Sennin = Sage

Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere

Futon: Rasengan = Wind Release: Spiralling Sphere

Hiraishin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Technique

Futon: Gama Teppō = Wind Release: Toad Gun

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later…


	7. Catching a Wave

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter7: Catching a Wave

**Wave Country: Great Naruto Bridge**

It had been three months since they had left Whirlpool Country after they had salvaged whatever they could from Uzugakure's ruins. They had mostly just found some scrolls on water elemental manipulation and a single water jutsu scroll. It wasn't really surprising since the country was surrounded by nothing but ocean creating a natural defence against attacks.

It would have been obvious that the country's former occupants would use the island's natural defences to their advantage. Unfortunately only Naruto could actually use the jutsu since after Yugito had pretty much shoved a chakra elemental paper into his hands he had discovered he had a water elemental affinity.

(**Note:** it's pretty obvious since his last names are _Uzumaki_ and _Nami_kaze; both have a reference to water in some way).

The two had set off towards Wave Country but every time the two had stopped to sleep Naruto could always hear the faint sounds of sobbing coming from the other tent. Though he wouldn't admit it, it had him worried every time; when he asked Yugito about it she would always say it was nothing and had continued to give that answer since the two had started travelling together four months ago.

It still had him worried though…

Upon their arrival to Wave Country however they came across something they weren't expecting to see…

"What the heck is this?!" Yugito's voice could be heard for miles.

In front of them was the large bridge connecting Wave Country to the mainland; there wasn't anything really wrong with it other than the fact it was extremely long but its name is what caught the two travellers' attention. Its name; printed on the archway above their heads stated quite clearly 'Great Naruto Bridge'.

"What the hell?" she asked again turning on heal to face her partner, "do you mind explaining because I want an explanation?"

"Erm…well you see…" Naruto laughed nervously. "My old team and I _might_ have saved this entire country from total annihilation".

"…Alright; then why did they name the bridge after you?" she asked looking between him and the sign.

He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, "well...I sort of sparked this country's courage and defeated one of the nins trying to destroy the peace here".

Yugito frowned at that; she'd seen the reports on the Battle of Wave as the locals had been calling it and so the rest of the world had come to know it as well. The report didn't match what Naruto had just said; what the report said was that Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Sasuke had fought both Kiri nukenins and won before finally moving on to kill Gato.

It never mentioned anything about Naruto or the other team-mate; just Kakashi and Sasuke apparently _saving _the country of Wave. Once the two had crossed the bridge and entered village Yugito had fully accepted that the mission report had been falsified as when they walked through the streets children and adults alike stopped to stare in awe at the them (more like him).

'_These people are looking at him as if he were their hero…the report was definitely falsified; probably to keep a lid on the 'demon's success,'_ the Neko-Sennin thought bitterly looking over at Naruto's smiling face.

"Hey! Well if it isn't the loudest ninja I ever met!" they heard from in front of them. They looked up and saw a man who looked to be in his mid-sixties standing in the middle of the street dressed formal wear befitting a man of authority, "welcome back brat".

"Tazuna you old drunk; how's it going?" Naruto waved running up to the man with Yugito trailing a few feet behind.

"Same old, same old; I'm the mayor now by the way," he said off handily before looking over to the Kumo nin. "It's good to see you again; I heard what happened in Konoha".

Naruto looked away at that trying to forget what had happened only five months ago "I'm surprised you heard about that".

"Are you kidding me? The entirety of the elemental countries knows that the son of the Yondaime Hokage was exiled from his home just for being born," the aged man shook his head. "Still can't believe you're that man's kid though," Tazuna just laughed. "Nevertheless I never thought you'd show up here; half the elemental countries have sent out hundreds of ninja to look for you".

The Kitsune-Sennin laughed nervously, "what were you expecting you old drunk? I'm actually surprised they didn't kick me out sooner". He shook his head clearing his mind, "never mind that; do you mind if we stay for awhile? I mean if it's not too much trouble?"

Tazuna nodded looked between the two blonds, "sure, sure and of course your little girlfriend here can stay too".

Naruto blushed at the thought and waved his arms in defence, "she's not my girlfriend".

"Please; who would date this idiot," Yugito gestured towards the ex-Konoha nin. "He's reckless; gets into more trouble than anyone I've ever met and is a pervert; if it wasn't for the fact that he's saved my life I would have gladly remained in Kumo instead of staying with him on this crazy ride".

"You don't have to be so forceful about it Yugito," Naruto grumbled under his breath turning away in a huff.

Tazuna eyes them for a few moments before dragging out his words, "oh I see…my mistake then". Shaking his head he gestured towards the nearby lake, "come on; you can both live at my place".

* * *

"Inari! Dinner's ready!" yelled a female voice from the house's kitchen.

"I'll be right there mom!" a young boy of eleven yelled back dashing down the stairs. Once he entered the kitchen he sat on one of the chairs at the table, "so what are we having today?"

"You'll find out in a minute," Tsunami answered cheerfully.

Inari nearly gagged and groaned out, "mom…can we please go out to the dock to eat or something?" he whined.

It looked like the woman's eyes were glowing red, "are you saying my cooking is bad?" she asked dangerously.

Inari waved his hand in defence, "no, no, no, no; I just err…thought you might want to do something different". He laughed nervously as he saw his mother's gaze settle, _'that was a close one'_. He looked around taking notice of his grandfather's absence, "where's grandpa? I thought he'd be here by now".

Tsunami looked over the stove to see how it was doing as she answered, "he should be home anytime now; you know how hard he works these days".

The boy sighed at that, "I know but I barely get to see him anymore".

Suddenly the doorbell went off alerting to the two, "would you get that Inari?" his mother asked.

The boy nodded standing up and moving towards the door; taking a look out the peephole he immediately recognized his grandfather and opened the door. When he did he took notice of the two blond teenagers at the door with his grandfather; he looked between the two and Tazuna before his eyes widened as he recognised six scar-like birthmarks on the male teen's face knowing that only one person had them.

"N-Naruto-Nisan?" Inari stuttered and heard a clatter of dishes from back in the kitchen. Suddenly his mother appeared at his side too, "y-your really here?"

"Hey Inari, Tsunami-san; long time no see," the Kitsune-Sennin suddenly found himself tackled to the ground by the boy.

"Nisan!" Inari shouted trying to hold back a wave of tears.

As if to answer Naruto's unasked question Tazuna spoke up, "ever since we got word about your exile Inari-kun has been worried sick about you".

The male teenager nodded in understanding before pushing the kid off of him gently and crouching down onto one knee so that they were eyelevel, "come on now; I thought you weren't going to cry anymore? It's not very manly you know; you do want to be manly don't you?"

Sniffing slightly Inari rubbed his eyes and nodded, "sorry about that Nisan".

"Don't worry about it," Naruto smiled patting him on the shoulders getting the young boy to calm down.

'_He's good with kids,'_ Yugito mused before she shook her head. _'What am I thinking? Why do I care? It's not like I like that idiot,' _even though she thought that she couldn't escape the feeling of warmth in her chest when she looked at the scene.

"Is this your girlfriend Naruto-kun?" Tsunami asked with her attention on the Kumo nin.

Yugito blushed at that and shook in frustration, "I am _not_ his girlfriend". She continued passed them and entering the house angrily.

Turning to her father Tsunami asked as Naruto followed the blond girl, "what was that about?"

"They have _that_ sort of relationship," Tazuna replied knowingly and entered the house.

"Love/hate? My, my, this should be interesting," the woman giggled and headed back to the kitchen.

"Huh?" was the only thing Inari could say as he didn't understand what they were talking about.

After about ten minutes the group could be found sitting around the kitchen table eating the sea food Tsunami had cooked (much to Inari's dismay).

"So you two; what brings you here?" Tazuna asked before taking another bite out of his meal.

Naruto stopped for a moment to answer; "We need a place to lie low for a bit to plan our next move". He waved his hands in defence, "don't worry we won't be staying long; just a day or two before anyone decides to come knocking".

The town mayor merely shook his head, "I never said you couldn't stay kid; to hell with any ninja that come by. This is a proud country and we have unbreakable will because of you. I'll be damned if it's going to fall just because some ninja want to kill you so stay as long as you want".

Naruto shook his head at that, "thanks but it would be safer if we kept moving".

Tazuna sighed as his daughter handed him some sauce, "well I'm sure you'll be glad to know Konoha has been getting hammered for the last month or so".

Both Naruto and Yugito raised their heads at that. "What do you mean?" the Kumo nin asked.

The aged man seemed surprised for a moment before he explained, "after you were exiled kid; Wave and about four other countries have withdrawn their alliances with Fire Country because of it". Tazuna chuckled deeply "Snow Country and Wind Country with their ninja village were the first to back out of the alliance".

Both blonds' widened at the information, "are you joking?" Yugito found it hard to believe.

The mayor just shook his head in a negative, "no I'm not; the political arena is a mess because of this whole ordeal. Like I said before you've got half the elemental nations out looking for you, kid".

Putting his head in his hands Naruto sighed audibly and grumbled. "Great; just great".

Yugito groaned loudly, "well that complicates things a bit".

* * *

After dinner the group had sat down in the living room talking while Naruto had some of his shadow clones do the dishes and clean up much to Tsunami's delight. The conversations ranged from news about the other countries to the family's day-to-day lives. As it turned out Inari was attending the local school that was built since Wave Country had prospered so much.

At the end of the evening however there was a small problem…

"What do you mean we have to share a room?!" Yugito damn near shouted and pointed at her partner, "why do I have to share a room with this knucklehead?"

Naruto grumbled and Tazuna answered gesturing to the other room, "that is the only other room we have and it's used as a storage room so unless you want to sleep on some crates then you'll have to share the guestroom". The Neko-Sennin huffed and strolled into the room, "you have a strange taste in women kid" the mayor shook his head.

Naruto waved his hand dismissively, "I thought we told you there's nothing going on between us; we're just travelling together". He made to follow her, "stupid old drunk"

"Whatever you say kid…try not to be too noisy will you? I do want to sleep tonight," Tazuna said after him teasingly.

The God of Flash didn't respond but judging by the blush on his face it was clear that he heard what the man said. He shook himself and entered; the room was fairly standard and fortunately or unfortunately depending on who you were had two beds. Yugito had unhooked her gear; mostly supplies and her hooded cloak before dropping them on one of the beds closest to the bathroom door. Naruto didn't say a word as he hung up his trench coat on the nearby stand before dropping back on his bed looking up at the ceiling.

After a few moments Yugito's voice penetrated the silence of the room, "we've been using rivers and streams to bathe for the last three months; I'm going to take a shower". He didn't need to look to tell she was glaring at him, "if you try to sneak a peek I _will_ castrate you," she disappeared into the bathroom soon after.

When he heard the water in the show start to run Naruto sat up and started looking around the room before his eyes landed on the spiral mark on the back of his right hand. He concentrated and in a flash of yellow light his mother's sword appeared with its edge shinning in the light. He didn't know how long he was staring at it for but judging by the fact that he heard the water being turned off it had to be more than half an hour. Yugito re-entered the room soon after with a towel rapped around her; another hung over her shoulder and another holding up her hair to dry.

When she saw him staring at his new blade she sat down beside him letting her semi-dried hair out of its towel, "what are you doing?"

He looked up at her trying to find the words, "I…I don't know what I'm supposed to fight for anymore; back in Konoha I fought because I had people to protect but now…" He turned his gaze back to the sword he held, "what good is a weapon if you have nothing to use it for?"

Yugito couldn't say anything to that knowing that she hadn't' really experienced complete loneliness her whole life and then discarded. She thought what it might have been like if she had led a life like he did and was saddened by the mere thought of it. She slipped away from him and unsealed her nightgown from a scroll. She put it on knowing he wasn't looking and discarded the towels in the nearby basket before sitting back down beside him.

"You'll have to find out the answer yourself; no one can do it for you," she gently whispers and nods towards the bathroom. "Go take a shower or something; you can worry about this stuff later".

"…Yeah; your right," Naruto stood and proceeded towards the bathroom. He stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder at her, "hey Yugito?"

The Kumo nin looked up at him and asked, "what is Naruto?"

"Thanks for coming with me on this trip; I'd be dead right now without you," he told her. He shook his head, "thanks for everything". He entered the bathroom a moment later and after a few moments the sound of running water filled the room.

Yugito just stared at the place he stood feeling her cheeks heat up and knowing it wasn't because of the warm climate, _'what is wrong with me?' _She shook herself and brought her hands up to her cheeks to cool them, _'I'm acting like a schoolgirl dammit; I don't like him! But he just drives me insane! What's happening to me?'_

**Wave Country: Tazuna's House**

Later that night after everyone had fallen asleep the sounds of a low sobbing could be heard. Hearing the same thing as he did during their travels Naruto awoke to the sight of a dimly lit room with the only source of light being the moonlight shining through the gap in the window's curtains. Sitting up straight Naruto turned to where the sound was coming from; the other bed. It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before he could see clearly that his room was curled up in the bed sheets sweating heavily appeared to be crying in her sleep.

"Mother…" she whispered between her sobs.

Climbing out of bed Naruto approached and shook her, "hey Yugito; Yugito wake up". She shook from the contact and her eyes snapped open, "are you alright? It looked like you were having a nightmare".

She was breathing heavily but she nodded, "I-I'm fine; thank you".

Naruto looked sceptical as her breathing seemed to even out, "do you want to talk about it?"

Yugito wiped her eyes to get rid of the tears and nodded, "I...I've had nightmares every night for as long as I can remember; I'm plagued by them. I usually just sleep in the same bed as Kirabi-sensei to settle my subconscious mind but he's not here right now".

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner? I could have woken you up if you were having trouble sleeping?" asked the Ex-Konoha nin.

Yugito shook her head and looked away, "I just…I didn't trust you back then. I've always had issues with trusting people".

"…Does this have something to do with your mom?" she stiffened at his question. "I don't mean to pry but you were muttering about her in your sleep," Naruto said hastily so as to appease any anger she might have accumulated at him.

She sighed and explained meeting his gaze with a sorrowful expression, "my mother…she was killed by a secret group of Kumo Anbu that had gone rogue ten years ago when I was six called the Blood Howlers". Naruto watched as her face contorted in rage, sadness and fright, "they just—they just came barging into our house and cut her in half right in front me".

Naruto rushed over and grabbed her; holding her to him allowing her to let her new wave of tears to fall onto his nightwear. She buried her face into his chest crying throughout the night until she fell asleep. He didn't say a word as he tucked her back into bed and covered her up. He sighed and made his way back into his own bed knowing that he'd need his sleep as well. He rolled over so he was facing away from his room-mate and looking up at the curtains. After about ten minute however he felt a presence enter his bed and hug him from behind

"Y-Yugito?" he asked looking over his shoulder as she buried her face into the crunch of his neck.

"Thanks for waking me Naruto…" she had fallen asleep.

Naruto didn't know what to do but felt his own fatigue catching up with him and soon fell into unconsciousness also…

**Author's Notes:**

There's a little background on Yugito and an emotional rollercoaster for the duo as they finally make it to Wave. Next chapter however Naruto must face a very harsh reality as his world is turned upside down once more.

Okay general announcement; I will be busy over the next two weeks so I won't be able to update anything. First my 18th birthday is tomorrow and I'm going to be partying until Sunday and then I have to hand in all my college work by next week or I fail my course.

On a much better note has anyone listened to the 'How to save a life' parody called 'How you killed your brand?' by Doc Adams? If you haven't then I suggest you do; it takes the piss out of the PS3 in the form of the best song I've ever heard. Not that I've got anything against the PS3 or anything but this song is hilarious.

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later…


	8. The Key

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter8: The Key

**Wave Country: Tazuna's House**

The sun shone in through the window illuminating the room and Naruto groaned in still feeling tired. The sound of a pair of chirping morning birds filled his ear awakening him from his relaxing slumber. He groaned again covering his still closed eyes and buried his face back into the pillow trying to go back to sleep. However he quickly opened his eyes when he felt something or someone shift along his chest. He looked down having gotten used to the light and saw a still asleep Yugito with her head rest on his chest.

He sighed and said softly nudging her, "hey wake up; come on now". Her eyes fluttered open and she groaned trying to get used to the sunlight.

She looked up and said, "good morning".

"Morning," he said back with a smile.

She lowered her head, "I-I'm sorry about last night; it's just remembering what happened to my-".

"Don't worry about it," he told her with a smile. "If it helps I know how you feel".

Just then she remembered he had met his mother or at least her clone only to lose her the same day, "it's not fair," she whispered.

"Life isn't fair; I know that better than anyone," the he told her.

She looked up at him and said, "Naruto I-" sadly she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

_Knock Knock_

Just then the door opened allowing Tazuna to enter "hey you two; I need to talk to you both for a minute…" The Mayor stood there looking at them for a few moments before turning and saying quickly. "Clearly I caught you at a bad time; sorry for disturbing you," he closed the door on his way out.

The two blonds looked at each other then took notice that they were both still the same bed dressed in their bed wear.

"You misunderstand," Naruto called after the man as Yugito said something along the lines of 'pervert' while blushing madly.

* * *

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," Naruto stood in a clearing away from prying eyes.

There was a poof of smoke as Naruto completed his jutsu signifying the appearance of a summoned creature. What appeared from the smoke was a mediums-sized summoned toad sitting atop a large vertical scroll.

"Who summons me?" the toad asked looking around before he spotted Naruto standing before him.

"Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto," the blond answered stating his full name as he looked up at the toad atop the scroll. He stared up and continued, "I was told you could help me; I'm trying to contact the Key Toad. Are you the Key Toad?"

The toad remained silent for a few moments as he seemed to analyse the blond teenager and took note of style of coat he wore.

The toad nodded before speaking quietly, "I am the holder of the key; my name is Gerotora. I must say it has been a long time since we have last seen each other Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune".

"That term no longer applies to me Gerotora-san; Kyuubi's consciousness is no longer inside the seal," Naruto corrected.

Gerotora chuckled, "true enough but the seal is still there as is the Kyuubi's chakra core and power". Naruto just nodded hesitantly so he continued, "may I ask what you want with the key and I Naruto-san?"

"Err…just call me Naruto and as for the key…I was told that you were given it and I would like you to give it to me so I can complete the seal on my stomach," Naruto answered truthfully.

"…No," the Key Toad answered plainly and continued before he could protest. "The last time someone used the key to tamper with your seal four tails of power were released and you lost all control".

"B-but-" Naruto stuttered.

"No buts; your too young to be trying to tamper with such a thing as the seal," Gerotora reiterated, "This isn't a game Naruto. If something were to go wrong there's no telling what would happen and if the seal is 'opened' any further then chances are that the Kyuubi's power would be released in massive amounts probably resulting in a very large explosion".

The Kitsune-Sennin remained silent for a moment before he looked straight up into the toad's eyes and spoke, "then test me".

"What did you say?" asked the Key Toad narrowing his eyes at the blond.

"Test me," he said again.

"Jiraiya entrusted everything to you; if I were to test you then you will either pass or die; are you sure you want this?" Gerotora asked in complete seriousness, "You will have to answer to the laws of the toads if we were to test you like this".

"…I don't need to repeat myself; do I?" Naruto phrased it like a question but they could both tell it wasn't.

"…Very well; we'll begin the Trial of the Summoner now. Though be warned; you can only do this once," Gerotora made a hand-seal and suddenly the world around them went down.

**Anomaly: Unknown Location**

Sleeping lightly with his feet up on his desk sat one Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto snoring loudly. There was a knock at the door waking the man from his slumber and he groggily opened his eyes. They immediately snapped open seeing the room he was in; he looked around seeing he was in Konoha and more specifically the Hokage's Office.

The door opened slightly and a voice called out, "can I come in Hokage-sama?"

Naruto looked around for a second unsure of what to say before he spoke up a tad nervous, "err…yeah come on in".

The door opened fully and allowed a man the blond identified immediately as Uchiha Sasuke, "sorry to disturb you Rokudaime-sama but the council has scheduled another general meeting later today encase Sakura didn't mention it".

_I think someone who can't save their best friend isn't fit to become Hokage. What do you think, Sasuke?_

Every instinct in Naruto told him what was happening around him was wrong but he played anyways seeing as he had no idea what was happening "err…yeah I think she forgot".

"Are you feeling alright dobe? You seem a little pale today, I would have thought you'd have gotten used to being Hokage by now," Sasuke smirked before continuing, "or is it your still thinking about you honeymoon last month with Sakura?"

'_Honeymoon? What the hell is going on here?'_ the blond looked up at him and shook his head, "err…no it's not that".

"Right," the Uchiha smirked again and turned to leave. He was just about to move before he cast a look over at the seated blond, "I never did thank you for saving me from Orochimaru did I?"

"Yeah well it's over now," he told the dark-haired young man. Before he left however Naruto spoke up once more "you know…I can't seem to remember how I saved you and I don't know why".

"Are you losing your memory or something dobe? Surely you remember how-" Sasuke seemed to have gone mute for a second even though his lips were moving. "-I must thank you for what you did for-" suddenly he was gone; almost as if he disappeared instantly.

Pain suddenly flared throughout Naruto's body and his head fell to the desk as he gasped. The ground seemed to rumble and the desk suddenly disappeared letting him fall forward onto the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut as the entire office seemed to collapse around him and for some reason he could feel incredibly hot like he was caught in a fire.

_Your eyes reek of a chakra far fouler than my own; it reminds me of Uchiha Madara…_

His eyes snapped open as the pain finally stopped; he got up off of the ground and saw that he was outside on what appeared to be a battlefield littered with dead bodies. He gave the bodies a quick look before nearly vomiting; they were all burnt beyond recognition while others looked like they had been ripped and cut apart.

"What the hell is going on around here?" he asked but no one was nearby.

Just then he heard a monstrous roar and he looked towards its source on the horizon. His eyes widened as he saw what looked like the Kyuubi roar at a man dressed in samurai armour carrying a scroll standing atop a pillar of wood. Atop the fox's head stood another in samurai armour but this one had red eyes that the blond easily identified as the Sharingan. His face looked to be an older version of Sasuke with his hair much longer and Naruto couldn't help but shiver at the look of pure insanity in his eyes.

"Hashirama!" the Sharingan-wielder screamed in rage as the fox roared again.

"Madara!" the man on the pillar shouted back and made a hand-seal causing pillars of wood to rise from the ground around them.

"**Kyuubiko…"** the giant fox started charging what appeared to be a mass of chakra at its mouth and condensing it into a solid sphere. **"…Imari!"** The fox roared again and suddenly in a blinding flash of light the ball exploded towards Hashirama.

_Promise of a Lifetime…_

Naruto shielded his eyes from the light until it died down but now instead of seeing the Kyuubi, Madara and Hashirama like he expected; he now saw a large valley with two statues standing at the waterfall upstream. Looking down he saw two figures standing at the statues feet and he knew exactly even at the range he was at.

They were Naruto and Sasuke back when they were thirteen and fighting in this same valley. The two had their 'gifts' activated and were charging their most powerful attacks readying for the final clash. Then it came; they both jumped high and stretched their arms out in the hope of beating the other.

"Chidori!" "Rasengan!"

Those were the sounds he heard as he saw the two attacks connect with each other before expanding in a ball of darkness which then exploded in a shining white light.

"I don't want to see this," Naruto whispered with his fist shaking at the scene. He looked up and shouted out "stop this!"

"Do you have someone precious to you?"

Naruto whirled around at the voice but noticed that no one was there. He turned back and saw that the valley was gone and now he was in a large black void with no life sight.

"What is it you believe in?"

Naruto snapped his head in the direction of the voice and again saw nothing, "that voice…"

"What is it you're fighting so desperately for?"

This time the voice came from behind him and he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to the right and looked over at the one with their hand on his shoulder. His eyes widened slightly as he recognized who it was and was unable to say anything to him.

"When a person... has something important they want to protect... that's when they can become truly strong," Haku said with a smile.

"H-Haku, why are you-" Naruto began.

"You should wake up; you'll catch a cold if you sleep on the ground," Haku said still smiling.

Before Naruto could speak the entire world around him was encased in a blinding light…

**Wave Country: Training Field**

Naruto let out a groan as groggily opened his eyes; just then he remembered all of the stuff he had seen and immediately bolted up into a sitting position. The first thing he noticed was that night had already descended on the land and the moon was out in full.

"Oh good your awake; I thought you were going to die for a second there," he snapped his head to the left and saw Gerotora sitting on top of his scroll a few feet away.

"You mean that was all a Genjutsu?" Naruto asked shaking himself to clear the images from his mind.

"Not exactly; it's more of a form of soul-searching. It basically portrayed all of the emotions you have ever felt directly into to your consciousness," the Key Toad answered.

"What would have happened if I hadn't woken up?" the blond asked shooting the toad a look.

"You'd be dead kiddo," Gerotora said simply.

Naruto nodded and climbed to his feet, "right; so what now?" The scroll suddenly flung open and wrapped around him, "what the heck?" He fell to the ground as Gerotora jumped off, "what is this?"

"The Key," was all the toad said as the Kanji on the scroll merged with the seal on Naruto. There was a stream of light that appeared between the toad's abdomen and the scroll but it died down quickly, "it is done".

There was a sudden rush of wind as massive amounts of _red _chakra erupted from Naruto's body; it soon engulfed him and he was only able to let out a small scream before the chakra took on the shape of a fox with four tails. His skin was ripped apart and blood mixed with the chakra condensing it further.

Once it was over Gerotora looked on worriedly, "Naruto…are you alright?"

"**Never been better,"** came the answer from the four-tailed fox as he flexed his hands, no claws. A moment later he let shut it down and returned to normal breathing a sigh of relief, "well that was…interesting".

"Yeah; it also looks like your healing factor has been enhanced as well," the Key Toad commented seeing that the blond still had most of his skin and the rest was healing before his eyes.

"Thank you…for everything," Naruto for the first time in his life bowed his head in respect.

The toad just waved his hand dismissively, "you don't need to thank me kiddo; Jiraiya-dono would have wanted you to have the key".

Naruto looked confused catching the toad's choice of words and asked, "What are you talking about? What do you mean 'would have wanted? Did something happen?"

Gerotora looked at him sadly for a few moments before explaining, "You haven't heard have you? Jiraiya-dono fell in battle against the Akatsuki leader two days ago".

At those words for the first time in five months Naruto had felt true pain once again…

**Rain Country: Ame / Akatsuki Headquarters**

"I trust all of you are aware of the Gama-Sennin: Jiraiya recently infiltrating Amegakure," Pein: the leader of Akatsuki said looking around the room at the numerous holograms of the other members. When they all nodded knowingly Pein continued, "Both myself and Konan intercepted and defeated him though the battle did last longer than I would have liked".

Kisame let out a laugh he had been stifling for the last few minutes before finally speaking, "that guy must have been something to hold off against two of Akatsuki strongest alone".

Pein remained silent before he spoke again, "Jiraiya was once my sensei and if he had prior knowledge of Konan and I we would have surely lost". Itachi nodded at that knowing the strength Pein wielded.

Almost like a god…

"**Moving on to more pressing issues; **Itachi," Zetsu spoke up getting the Sharingan-wielder's attention. "Your brother has killed Orochimaru **and is hunting for you as we speak with his new team he's made".**

Itachi remained silent at the news but Kisame just grinned and seemed to shoulder his sword. The shark-man spoke in a challenging voice, "let the brat come; I'll be sure to cut off one of his limbs".

The Uchiha to his side however shook his head and stated, "Sasuke is insignificant. I will deal with him personally".

Deidara looked over at the Akatsuki leader and asked, "with all due respect Leader-sama. What do we do about the Kyuubi, Nibi and the Hachibi? Yeah".

"The Hachibi can wait; it has a village to defend it and will not be easy to capture. That leaves the Kyuubi and the Nibi…" Pein narrowed his eyes with thought before looking up at them once again, "Deidara, Hidan, Zetsu, Tobi. You are to hunt the Kyuubi and the Nibi together so they cannot get away this time".

The group nodded though in both Deidara and Hidan's cases reluctantly with Tobi beaming brightly in the background and Zetsu looking bored off to the side.

"Yes Leader-sama," the three spoke together but in Tobi's case…

"Tobi is a good boy!"

(**Note: **Seriously that guy has issues)

**Author's Notes:**

Hello again everyone! I am now 18! Woohoo! (Starts to break-dance).

Back to the story; there's a plot twist for you! I'll give you one guess what I'm planning. No major announcements to make but I'll try to update soon.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox

Neko = Cat

Sennin = Sage

Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Summoning Technique

Chidori = Thousand Birds

Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere

Kyuubiko Imari = Nine-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball

Please read and review.

See Ya Later…


	9. Between Anger and Hatred

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter9: Between Anger and Hatred

**Fire Country: Konoha / Hokage's Office**

Despite the heartache and pain from losing the closest person she had ever had Senju Tsunade sat at her desk constantly fighting down the large number of tears threatening to form in her eyes. To the side next to the window sat the toad elders: Fukasaku and Shima though Fukasaku appeared to have no readable emotion on his face. In front of her stood the Konoha 11 (minus Naruto), Asuma, Kakashi and Yamato who appeared to be very saddened at the news they had heard.

For some it was for no other reason than the fact that they heard possibly one of the strongest people they had ever encounter had been defeated and killed by one of his own student. For others it was the fact that the man had been with them for a short while and (though the girls hated his perverted nature) respected him for the strength he had wielded.

But for most it was the fact that they all knew Naruto wouldn't take this news lying down…

"Thankfully some good news has come to us as well," Tsunade said getting their attention. "It appears from Jiraiya's last toad-mail that Orochimaru was killed by Sasuke and he is now going after his brother Itachi," she explained.

"So he's not returning," Sakura said as a statement more than a question.

The Hokage shook her head before continuing, "No he's not".

From the window Fukasaku spoke up catching their attention, "I'm afraid the toads cannot be allied with Konoha any longer since the only one my son Gamabunta will accept as a summoner is that blond boy and since he is exiled from here us toads no longer have any attachments to this place". Everyone in the room looked shocked at the elder toad though he merely nodded towards Tsunade, "once we leave here it will be for the last time Hokage-dono".

The blond woman clenched her fists knowing that the last of Jiraiya she had would be gone after the toad elders left…just like she had lost everything of Naruto. Before she could utter a response there was a sudden poof of smoke and a medium-sized red/black toad appeared in the office.

"Pa!" the toad exclaimed upon seeing Fukasaku.

"Settle down Kichi-Chan," Shima calmed the young toad.

"But Ma I just got back from talking with the Key Toad," this surprised both Ma and Pa though everyone else in the room heard. "Apparently Naruto now has the key and has used it," he explained further.

"Is there any danger from the containment seal?" Fukasaku asked alarmed.

"The key appears to have restored the seal to its original design but that's not why I'm here," Gamakichi spoke quickly. "I came to tell you that Naruto knows about Ero-Sennin being killed; apparently Gerotora-sama told him and Naruto destroyed everything in sight because of it".

Fukasaku asked in a serious voice, "where is he now?"

"Hunting the Akatsuki leader; I think he's heading for Rain Country though he should be passing the edge of Fire Country to get there," the Toad Prince answered truthfully.

"Sasuke will have to take that route too if he wants to locate his brother," Shino commented in monotone.

"Shishou?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade nodded, "I know; all of you are to head out after Naruto and Sasuke. Though be careful if and when you confront them; I doubt they will come quietly".

"Understatement," Kakashi muttered remembering his last skirmish with his former blond student.

**Fire Country: ****Forest**

Naruto and Yugito rode on Tsukino's back at high velocity through the large forest in route to Rain Country and though Yugito hadn't said anything she was deeply worried about her travelling companion. He had returned to the house back in Wave Country with his cloths drenched in his own blood and his skin healing faster than in did before. None of the others saw him when he came in but she did; he was angry. No, that's not true; he was downright pissed off.

When he came in he told her to pack her things and that they were leaving after he took a shower. When asked why he just said that his former teacher had been killed and he was going after the one responsible. They had said their goodbyes to the family before he summoned Tsukino and they took off towards Rain only stopping to rest, eat and drink. That had been a week ago and they were just now passing the edge of Fire Country. During that time Naruto had barely spoke throughout the entire trip and she was becoming increasingly worried about him with each passing moment.

"Hey Naruto; maybe we should stop to rest," Yugito spoke up getting his attention. "We won't be in any shape to fight if we keep moving like this".

He looked at her over his shoulder and noticed that she looked fatigued from the continuous travel. He sighed before nodding in agreement, "alright. Tsukino; sniff out the nearest town and take us there".

The fox nodded lightly and changed its course slightly; after another ten minutes they immerged from the forest onto a small grass field with what appeared to be a town on the other side of it. Tsukino dashed across the field before coming to a stop just outside town; the fox gave one look at the two as they dismounted.

"It's probably not a good idea to have you carry us into the village from here Tsukino-Chan so we'll head on foot the rest of the way," Naruto told her.

Tsukino nodded with a smile, "summon me when you need me Naruto-kun, Yugito-Chan".

"Bye," Yugito waved as the fox poofed away. When she turned to her blond companion she noticed he was already heading into the town street, "hey Naruto. Wait up…" she called after him but he just kept walking as if he hadn't heard her. _'Naruto…'_ she clenched her fists before taking off after him.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist at the local Inn asked in greeting.

"Yes we'd like a room please; just for the one night," Naruto answered and the woman nodded with a smile.

"That will be------" (**Note:** I have no idea how Japanese currency works)

Naruto handed her the money and she took it before handing him the keys to the room, "have a nice day".

As the two Sennin made their way towards their room Yugito asked him, "where did you get that kind of money? You're not a part of any village now even if you are still a ninja so you aren't getting paid".

"…It's something I have left over from my training trip with Ero-Sennin," Naruto answered.

"Ero-Sennin?" Yugito asked confused by the title.

"The Gama-Sennin Jiraiya," Naruto answered and she noticed his features tense before relaxing.

"He was the teacher you used to have that was killed?" the Neko-Sennin asked as the two came to a stop in the hall.

"…Yeah," Naruto answered with barely controlled rage showing in his eyes. "He was like a grandfather to me; a perverted one but still someone I held dear," said the Kitsune-Sennin

Yugito noticed this of course and said, "Naruto you shouldn't try to bottle up your emotions like this".

"I know that but I can't just sit around and let that bastard from Akatsuki get away with this," Naruto tried not to yell knowing they were in a hotel but that didn't mean he didn't get his point across. "I'll kill him and anyone else stupid enough to get in my way," he calmed himself and shook his head before turning to continue.

"Naruto please don't let your anger contr-" Yugito started only to stop when she was handed the keys.

"Go on ahead; I need to go blow off some steam. I'll be back later," the next moment Naruto was gone in several flashes of yellow light indicating the number of flash steps he used.

The Kumo-nin looked down at the hallway towards where the last flash originated, _'Naruto…'_

* * *

The God of Flash walked through the crowded streets of the town trying to locate the source of his unease. Ever since he had left Wave Country he had been feeling a…presence for lack of a better term. Like there was something following them or at least moving with them in the same direction and it was beginning to frustrate him. Suddenly he felt a spike of chakra from far away and almost instantly snapped his head in its direction.

'_They must have been waiting for us,'_ Naruto thought and set off walking towards the source of the chakra spike.

Naruto silently walked through the crowd until he emerged from the town and continued onto the open field outside. Once he got to a hill near the center of the field he looked over his shoulder and held out his hand to the side.

His coat flapped in the wind as he whispered the words, "come out".

An object he recognized as a red three-bladed scythe erupted from the ground trying to catch him; it cut deep but that made no difference as 'Naruto' disappeared in a poof of smoke indicating it was a clone.

"Damn; I forgot clones are your speciality brat," Hidan said from a few feet away as he pulled on the chain attached to his scythe. He looked over his shoulder noticing the blond was a few feet away and said in a crazed voice, "pray to Jashin-sama that you can kill me first or you will die".

"Where is Pein?" Naruto asked.

"Like I'll tell you," Hidan said with as his smile widened.

A bird made out of clay appeared behind the blond and flew towards him at high speed.

"Raikyu," there was a whisper before a ball of lightning fell from the sky and hit the clay-bird. It fell lifeless to the ground a moment later as Yugito touched down behind Naruto so they were back-to-back, "sorry I'm late".

"Don't worry about it," the Kitsune-Sennin told her as he saw the person who defeated Gaara was riding atop a large dragon made of clay. Deidara was his name if he remembered it correctly, "oh great it's the gender confused weirdo who kidnapped Gaara that one time".

"I am _not_ a gender confused weirdo! Yeah" the bomber shouted in rage at the insult though Hidan appeared to be barely holding in his laughter.

"Hello! Do you see Tobi?!" The two Sennin looked over to see a man wearing an Akatsuki cloak and an orange mask. He waved almost childishly getting their attention, "Tobi's over here!"

"…"

"…"

"Seriously what is that guy smoking, yeah?" Deidara asked but Hidan just shrugged at the question.

"How the hell should I know? He's your partner," said the human reaper.

_Sage Mode Activated_

The ground shook as both Naruto and Yugito shifted into their respective forms releasing a small shockwave around them with a loud roar. Their now slitted eyes were shifting between the three Akatsuki members and as he saw this Deidara couldn't help himself.

"This will be a blast, yeah," the bomber shook with anticipation.

Yugito cast her partner a look and saw that his eyes were seemingly glued to the dragon rider above them.

_Flashback no Jutsu Begin_

"_I'll kill him and anyone else stupid enough to get in my way," he calmed himself and shook his head before turning to continue down the corridor._

_Flashback no Jutsu End_

'_Naruto…'_ the Neko-Sennin trailed on in thought.

A sudden explosion shook the area and the two Sennin separated from each other's sides. Naruto skidded to a halt a few feet away only to jump out of the way of another exploding clay bomb that had took the form of a bug. Once in midair Naruto watched as Deidara's clay dragon seemed to spat out a volley of small chunks of clay that looked to be homing in on the Kitsune-Sennin.

'_Dammit; I can't Shunpo in midair,'_ Naruto growled in thought as he brought his arms up over his chest as a shield. "Futon: Rasen," he whispered and a plate of a spinning chakra formed in front of him.

The projectiles exploded harmlessly on the chakra shield and Naruto touches back down on the ground again glaring up at the bomber, "where's Pein?" It was a demand, not a question.

Deidara just scoffed, "sorry. Not telling; it's a secret, yeah".

"Can Tobi play too?" Naruto looked over his shoulder and saw the orange-masked Akatsuki member staring at him questionably with his said head cocked to the side.

Though he didn't know what had caused it at the time; at that moment Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto could not help himself but be consumed by his anger…

He attacked.

Yugito sat atop a large one-tailed cat with comparable size to Tsukino and together they dashed across the open field.

"Now Rei! Fire!" Yugito shouted as she saw the man chasing her move closer.

"I hear you," the cat: Rei muttered in annoyance before suddenly skidding to a stop while turning. "Nekomata Endan!" she called out and launched a giant bolt of purple flames at the Akatsuki member.

There was a sudden explosion as it connected but that didn't mean they had won, "you can't run this time girly". Hidan appeared in front of the two in a single moment, "by the will of Jashin-sama I will kill you!"

Before he could land the hit Rei used her tail to throw her passenger off before disappearing back to the Summoned Realm in a poof of smoke. Hidan growled and turned but was knocked off balance by an impact from the side. He looked down and instead of a kunai like he had expected he saw an _arrow_. He looked up at the Neko-Sennin and just saw her standing there with a bow in her hands aimed at him; she lowered her weapon and smirked.

"Hi no Ya," she said barely above a whisper and the arrow suddenly exploded in his side. "Got you," Yugito whispered again seeing his now unmoving body on the ground still relatively intact.

She thought she had finished him with that last hit and slowly took a step towards him. When she got close enough however she wasn't able to dodge the moving scythe coming at her from the side. It slashed her face from the side and by the will of its attached chain the scythe returned to its wielder's hand.

"Did you really think something like that would kill me?" Hidan asked standing up showing the large hole in his side.

"I had hoped," she admitted.

Hidan just grinned and began to create a symbol on the ground around him using his own blood, "I hope you enjoyed life because you are about to be judged by Jashin-sama".

Just then the skin on his body changed colour into something reminiscent of a grim reaper…

**Author's Notes:**

I'm gonna end it here; sorry about this but there's a lot to write and it would seem stupid of me to add it onto this chapter so I'm saving it for a feature length battle in the next chapter. Double update with Triforce Chronicles by the way.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox

Neko = Cat

Gama = Toad

Sennin = Sage

Raikyu = Lightning Ball

Shunpo no Jutsu = Flash Step Technique

Futon: Rasen = Wind Release: Spiral

Nekomata Endan = Forked Cat Flame Bullet

Hi no Ya = Arrow of Fire

Nothing new to say really.

See Ya Later…


	10. Hunting Season

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter10: Hunting Season

**Fire Country: Plain**

"Rasengan!" Naruto called out as a he lunged at the masked Akatsuki member. "What the hell?" he asked startled as he appeared to phase right through him. The blond skidded to a stop a few feet away and looked at the man's orange mask,_ 'what's going on here? I know I landed that hit but it did no damage'._

"Come play with Tobi!" the Akatsuki member gestured for the blond to come at him.

Naruto's eyes begun to shift in colour from blue to red as he glared at Tobi; he made a hand-seal and muttered, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu". Twenty clones appeared at his side and charged towards the Akatsuki member at full speed, "I have to thank the Raikage for this jutsu next time I see him".

"Yea more friends," Tobi waved.

"Bunshin Daibakuha!" the clones called out once in range and exploded with tremendous forces.

Tobi emerged from the smoke completely unharmed and looked around unable to find the Kitsune-Sennin, "where'd you go mister?"

"Here," came a voice from behind him. He turned swiftly and was completely unprepared for the long double-edged sword that struck at his chest, "I'll ask again; where's Pein?"

"This sword…" Tobi said losing his childish demeanour.

"Is a transcended sword and so cannot be blocked by _thing_ you're using to deflect my attacks," Naruto told him as he twisted the blade. "Now answer the question; or believe me you won't like what I'll do". Tobi didn't reply as he suddenly started to shrink into his Akatsuki cloak until it disappeared too, "what the hell? Where did he go?" Naruto asked looking around for the masked Akatsuki member.

"You still have me to contend with, yeah!" Deidara shouted from his clay dragon as he launched another volley.

"Would you stop dropping bombs on me already?!" Naruto shouted in frustration and anger as he dodged the barrage.

"Die, yeah!" was Deidara said as he launched another salvo of clay bombs.

"I've had enough of this; I think it's about time I tried out that new jutsu I salvaged from Whirlpool Country." Naruto muttered darkly with his eyes now fully red. He made a hand-seal and three shadow clones appeared at his side, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu".

He held out both of his hands and two of the clones went to one of them while the last went to the other. The two clones standing at one side begun to insert chakra and wind manipulation into a contained sphere in the palm of his hand while the last clone drew on the water in the neighbouring are to spin it in the palm of his other hand.

"Futon: Rasengan, Suiton: Hahonryu: Gufu Suika no Jutsu!" the original Naruto called out as he brought both of the jutsus together into a new one.

A large spinning wall of water exploded from the contact putting a swirling barrier of water and wind between the two fighters.

"What is this?!" Deidara shouted in rage as he saw his bombs detonate harmlessly on the water vortex.

"Futon: Rasenshuriken," Deidara turned swiftly seeing the giant chakra wind shuriken flying at him at high speed.

"Shit, yeah," the bomber said through gritted teeth as he jumped off of his clay dragon.

The chakra shuriken sailed passed the dragon and continued on towards him; it narrowly missed as Deidara fell towards the ground but just then the Rasenshuriken detonated catching his arm. His arm was ripped apart, completely destroying it and making him wince him pain from the attack.

Once he touched down on the ground again he glared over at his opponent, "you'll pay for that, yeah!" The bombers shouted as he returned to his feet. Despite his words Deidara knew he couldn't win a prolonged fight against him and so decided to not hold back, "I was hoping to get the chance to use this against Itachi but…you'll do for a good test subject, yeah". He pulled out a large mass of clay and ate it with his _normal_ mouth, "you had better pray demon because you die here and now, yeah!"

He vomited out a large mass of clay which expanded and Naruto jumped away before taking a look up at the towering giant, "oh crap".

It was a Nendo Bunshin (Clay Clone) of Deidara; nothing really new about that since Naruto had seen him make them before but now…this wasn't a regular clone. The thing was massive; easily fifty feet tall if not taller and if Naruto remember correctly this particular type of clone had a tendency to explode.

'_If that thing explodes right now it might kill me…I'm not sure if the Rasenken can take that kind of a blast,' _Naruto's breathing suddenly seemed to become ragged. He turned sharply and flashed stepped as far away as he could, _'I've got to get away, Shunpo no Jutsu'._

"You can't escape my art, yeah!" Deidara shouted from the air. "Let me introduce you to C4 Karura! Ketsu!" The large clone suddenly seemed to disintegrate until nothing was gone.

Naruto stopped on a nearby tree and looked back, _'what the hell happened? I thought it was supposed to explode'. _He could suddenly feel a large amount of impacts against his barrier as the protective barrier began to flare into sight, _'what's hitting the Rasenken? Are those…bombs?'_

"Die, yeah!" The bomber shouted riding atop his clay dragon once again.

'_Dammit they must be some form of very small clay bombs; I can't stop them all from getting through the Rasenken though'._ The Rasenken seemed to become visible under the constant barrage, _'my healing factor is dealing with the bombs that get through the Rasenken but its not working fast enough'._

It was true; his skin was being blown apart as well as his internal organs and because of his advanced healing he was able to keep going. Sadly the damage was beginning to exceed the healing rate and his skin was being blown apart faster than it could heal; if the Rasenken fell then he would be dead in moments and he knew it.

'_Come on I need a way out of this; think dammit, think,'_ the Kitsune-Sennin yelled in thought still feeling his defence being continuously hit. His eyes suddenly flashed in recognition, _'of course, if I add the wind element then the Rasenken will be able to shred the bombs at the cellular level just like the Futon: Rasenshuriken does'._ He concentrated and suddenly there was a continuous low-pitched screech as he called out, "Futon: Rasenken".

From that moment on none of the miniature bombs were able to get passed his barrier; Deidara was getting frustrated when he saw that Naruto was no longer taking damage. However Deidara noticed that the ex-Konoha nin was breathing harder than before while he tried to keep his barrier up as long as possible.

Even going as far as to tap into his Sage mode's chakra supply to maintain it at full power; after another minute and twenty three agonizing seconds of this the last of the bombs were destroyed and Naruto dropped to the ground panting hard with sweat rolling down his face. Deidara saw that his eyes had returned to normal and knew that the Kitsune-Sennin's sage mode was now out of power.

"I was expecting you to die, yeah," the bomber said more as a statement than anything else.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Naruto shot back still trying to catch his breath.

"Your barrier is down though and it looks like that power of yours is out of juice as well, yeah," Deidara grinned amused.

'_He's right; Sage Mode has shutdown and I don't know how to get it back right now. The Futon: Rasenken drained almost all of my chakra; how the hell do I win this?'_ Naruto suddenly heard a shout and looked up see a swarm of clay birds descending towards him, "oh crap". He quickly made some quick hand-seals and inhaled a large breath of air, "Futon: Daitoppa!" He blew out the air in a blast of wind using up all of his remaining chakra in the process though it proved to be enough as it deflected or destroyed the oncoming swarm, _'that's it; I'm spent'._

"You have to be running out of chakra by now, yeah?" It was an innocent question but the way the bomber said it was almost crazed.

Naruto gulped and thought, _'what do I do now?'_

_Flashback no Jutsu Begin_

_The toad nodded before speaking quietly, "I am the holder of the key; my name is Gerotora. I must say it has been a long time since we have last seen each other Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune"._

"_That term no longer applies to me Gerotora-san; Kyuubi's consciousness is no longer inside the seal," Naruto corrected._

_Gerotora chuckled, "true enough but the seal is still there as is the Kyuubi's chakra core and power"._

_Flashback no Jutsu End_

Naruto's eyes flashed in remembrance, _'oh yeah I forgot I still have the furball's chakra core stuffed in my gut'. _He grinned before he began to concentrate on accessing that particular energy source, _'I have to remain in control or this won't work'_.

"What are you smiling at, yeah? Nothing you do will change the outcome of this fight, yeah," Deidara eyes bore down on the ex-Konoha nin but Naruto just glared back.

"For the record; I would have kicked your ass the first time if Kakashi hadn't stopped me," Naruto finished and suddenly red chakra exploded from his body. (**Note:** I'm sure some of you know I got this line from Halo Wars).

It soon wrapped around his body and Deidara was forced to guide his clay dragon further away the spiralling column of red light. The chakra encased Naruto in a barrier of red taking the shape of a fox with one tail and then a second tail formed. Then another and another until a total of four tails had formed. Naruto let out a silent scream as his skin was ripped apart from the intense power running through and across him.

The blood mixed with the chakra and suddenly Naruto's body was no longer seen. A large shockwave erupted from his position and flattened everything within a five mile radius. In the center there was only a crimson chakra fox with his face covered in a black mask with pure white eye and a seemingly glowing mouth.

"Well this just got a lot harder, yeah".

The fox roared…

**Fire Country: Forest**

The Konoha retrieval team jumped from tree to tree it search of their missing comrades with Hinata and Kiba leading them with their respective abilities. Suddenly Yamato stopped on one of the branches and snapped his head towards the distant tree to his left. He turned his gaze to his hand feeling a small but noticeable sting and saw that smoke drifted off of it.

"What's wrong?" Kiba asked the Anbu Captain.

"It's Naruto; he just released four tails of Kyuubi's chakra," Yamato informed them in a desperate voice.

"I thought you put another seal on him to stop that from happening," Kakashi stated.

"I did but for some reason it's not working," Yamato answered hurriedly.

"Can you track him?" The Copy-nin asked and Yamato nodded in reply. "Alright then let's move," he said as an order.

"Follow me," said Yamato as he took off in the direction he had been looking towards.

**Fire-Rain Country: Border**

"Now I can finally savour the pain your death will cause," Hidan laughed as he drew his weapon back readying to stab himself. "Say hello to Jashin-sama for me, girly!" he shouted before stabbing himself through the chest.

Yugito's eyes widened as she remained standing motionless for a few seconds before dropping to her knees and then falling down until she lay on the cold ground.

Hidan sighed in satisfaction as he pulled the scythe from his chest, "ah; now that hit the spot". He walked confidently over to the fallen woman's body, as he hefted up his weapon onto his shoulder, "was it good for you?"

"Not really," she said as she bolted to her feet and dashed towards him. He stood shocked that she was still alive for a moment before getting his bearings again but it was already too late. "Kaizuki!" she knocked the Akatsuki member's chain-wielded weapon out of the way with one flame-covered arm and flung out her other arm towards the man's chest. "Tsuin Kaizuki!" she called out as she pierced the man and cleaved off the arm that held onto the chain. She pulled away before he could counter attack and kicked him in the chest knocking him back, "I got you".

"How are you still alive?! I know I cut you! I had your blood so how did you escape my curse?!" Hidan shouted his fury at her clutching his missing arm.

Yugito grinned and answered, "I'm a girl of many talents. One of which is while in my Cat Sage Mode I become the direct servant of Shinigami-sama and as such he will not allow you to curse me while I'm in this form".

Hidan let out a low growl of anger under his breath as he glared at her, "you really think you've won?" He suddenly started laughing madly, almost crazily at her, "fool! This is getting interesting!" He rolled to the left and picked up the chain connected to his scythe, "I'm going to kill you girly! Hahahaha!"

If Yugito were to be truly honest with herself she would say that she was scared, no, terrified of the man she was facing. He had taken everything she had thrown at him and just kept going; hell the guy didn't even looked bothered by the amount of damage she had inflicted on his body. Yet this man, this _demon_ appeared to have just shrugged off the wounds like they were paper cuts and seemed to keep coming at her.

Yes she was truly scared of him if only for that simple reason…

"Stay away from me!" She shouted as purple chakra erupted from her body and spiralled around her.

Her body was ripped apart under the constant heat and the chakra became purple flames. The flames suddenly took the shape a large cat made out of fire and with two swishing tails behind her. She let out a loud roar at the Akatsuki member which was reminiscent of a tiger's; she flung her large fire claw at her and a wave of flames erupted from the tips.

"**Hi Nami,"** the fire cat growled out as the flames became brighter.

"Now this is more like it!" Hidan shouted as he dodged the large waves of fire coming at him.

"**Hold still," **the cat growled and begun forming a ball of what appeared to be concentrated heat and flames at her open mouth. **"****Nekomata Goukakyu!"**

The ground shook as the fireball was shot towards Hidan and exploded in a glorious display of light. Once it died down the landscape looked to have been levelled and there were a few patches of glass littering the smoking ground.

"Is that all you've got? I'm disappointed," Came a voice from behind her prompting the cat to turn swiftly.

"**How did you survive that?"** Yugito growled at seeing the Akatsuki member standing at the edge of the nearby cliff leaning on his scythe.

"I told you I'm immortal," he shot back with an insane grin.

"**You…"** the fire cat charged towards him intent on eating him alive.

"Heh," Hidan chuckled before he jumped high into the air above Yugito.

The cat skidded to a stop as she neared the edge; she cast a look down while keeping an eye on her opponent and noticed that down the cliff was a large ravine. Hidan touched down on the opposite side of her and swung his scythe down on the ground causing it to crack.

"Sayonara," he said with a wave as the entire cliff edge collapsed and fell into the ravine with Yugito. She screamed as she touched to water as her flame body was instantly cooled and she emerged from the water in her humanoid form again. She glared up at the seemingly undying man even as he tells her "Give up already girly; you can't win".

She climbed out of the water so she stood on it and glared up at Hidan. Her cloak had been destroyed and her clothes were dripping wet from the dive. Yugito quickly went through her options and knew her clothes would weigh her down if she were to fight the Akatsuki reaper in close combat again. Thankfully for her she noticed something when she had climbed out of the water that would allow her to still fight.

Her Sage Mode had been recharged…

Deciding to take this as a good omen she held out her hand and ignited it in a burst of flames, "now what are you doing?" Hidan asked smirking down at her, "I told you already that I'm immortal; you can't kill me with that petty old thing".

"Who says I'm aiming for you?" the Neko-Sennin asked as she unleashed the super-heated stream of fire towards the already darkened sky. "Katon: Dai Kaizuki!" she called out as the bean seemed to dissipate in the sky.

"What was that meant to do? Give me a tan?" Hidan mocked but his grin quickly turned into a frown when the area became darker and he could hear the sound of lightning echoing from all directions.

"It's just meant to finish what the Nekomata Goukakyu was supposed to do before," Yugito answered with a smile. "Your 'Jashin-sama' won't save you here Teme; have a nice day in hell. Raiton: Kirin!" She called out as the lightning in the area increased drastically.

Suddenly a large dog like monster made of lightning shot down from the sky and hit the cliff with a thunderous blast sending massive amounts of heat and shockwaves for a hundred feet. Hidan screamed as his body was melted beyond recognition until there was nothing left but a pile of dust smeared all over the now destroyed cliff edge. Yugito slumped to her knees as her eyes returned to normal having running out of power in her sage mode.

'_Thank god, oh thank god,'_ Yugito thought as she crawled across the water onto dry land. She fell onto her back and stared up at the sky feeling completely exhausted, _'that's it I'm done. I've got nothing left; sage mode is deleted, I'm drenched so demon mode is out of the question and my normal chakra reserve is running on empty…I need a vacation'._ Suddenly she felt a large chakra spike fill the air and turned her head to the left where she felt it originated from, _'that chakra…that's Kyuubi's power being released'._

She forced herself to her feet and started off towards where her partner was fight. If someone were to ask her why she was pushing herself like this she would have just told them it was something she wanted to do.

**Author's Notes:**

Okay before anyone comments on the Naruto Deidara fight let me just explain myself. First is I have always wanted to see a rematch between these two because it is my firm belief that had Kakashi not been there then Naruto would have beaten Deidara to a bloody pulp. I mean come on; does anyone really think Deidara could be defeat a four-tailed Naruto? Especially considering Deidara barely had any clay left after his fight with Gaara.

Also people have been complaining to me about making the two Sennin too strong in the amount of time given but I honestly haven't. Jutsu-wise Naruto and Yugito only know a few of them and I have explained about them in previous chapters. I mean come on it has been _five months_ in this story since they had first met and Naruto was first banished; couple that with mass shadow clones and you have a pair of walking powerhouses.

I am not making Naruto and Yugito out to be gods (if you want that then take a look at my Digimon/Zelda fanfic). They are powerhouses; not gods. The following is a list of the jutsu the two have learned over the course of this story and how long it took them to learn them:

Naruto

Shunpo no Jutsu was created was back when he fought Gaara years ago and finished during his first three weeks away from Konoha.

Rasenken was created during his first three weeks away from Konoha.

Fox Sage Mode has not been fully mastered yet but he can enter it; I'll explain its weaknesses at a later date.

Futon: Rasenshuriken (Close-Range Version) was created during the weeklong trip to Kumo after his skirmish with the Konoha 13-Man Retrieval Team.

Chakra Nami was developed over a long time starting way back when Naruto first left Konoha and was finished by the time the two Sennin had reached the beach of Water Country.

Futon: Daitoppa was learned from one of the scrolls he gave Naruto before the two teens set off towards Whirlpool Country.

Bunshin Daibakuha was learned from one of the scrolls he gave Naruto before the two teens set off towards Whirlpool Country.

Futon: Rasenshuriken (Medium/Long Range Version) was finished during the five days of travel from Kumo to the beach of Water Country. (Developed with Futon: Rasengan)

Futon: Rasen was created during the five days of travel from Kumo to the beach of Water Country.

Futon: Gama Teppō was created during the weeklong journey from the beach of Water Country to Uzugakure no Sato in Whirlpool Country.

Suiton: Hahonryu was salvaged from Uzugakure's ruins and Naruto learned it during the three month journey from Whirlpool Country to Wave Country.

Gufu Suika no Jutsu was created during the three month journey from Whirlpool Country to Wave Country.

Yugito

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was learned from Naruto during the first day of travelling down the mountain of Kumo.

Cat Sage Mode has not been fully mastered yet but he can enter it; I'll explain its weaknesses at a later date.

Kuchiyose no Jutsu was learned during the five days of travel from Kumo to the beach of Water Country.

Katon: Dai Kaizuki was created during the five days of travel from Kumo to the beach of Water Country.

Raiton: Kirin was learned during the five days of travel from Kumo to the beach of Water Country.

Raikyu was learned during the five days of travel from Kumo to the beach of Water Country.

Chidori Nagashi was recreated during the five days of travel from Kumo to the beach of Water Country.

Hi Nami was created during the five months since the two Sennin had begun their travels.

Nekomata Goukakyu was created during the five months since the two Sennin had begun their travels.

The reason they are progressing so fast is because they are using Kage Bunshin to accelerate their ability to learn and create new things. Being that they are Jinchuuriki they have rather large chakra supplies so they can use the jutsu to its fullest effects. Hopefully this explains a bit.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox

Neko = Cat

Sennin = Sage

Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique

Bunshin Daibakuha = Clone Great Explosion

Suiton: Hahonryu = Water Release: Tearing Torrent

Futon: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken

Raiton: Kirin = Lightning Release: Qilin (According Wikipedia this is its translation)

Kaizuki = Fire Blade

Tsuin Kaizuki = Twin Fire Blade

Katon: Dai Kaizuki = Fire Release: Big Fire Blade

Hi Nami = Fire Wave

Nekomata Goukakyu = Forked Cat Great Fireball

Futon: Rasengan = Wind Release = Spiralling Sphere

Gufu Suika no Jutsu = Typhoon Water Vortex Technique

Rasenken = Spiralling Fist

Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist

Please read and review.

See Ya Later…


	11. The Crimson Fox Returns

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter11: The Crimson Fox Returns

**Fire Country: Plain**

Deidara veered away avoiding the massive shockwave that seemed to span out over the ground below. He swung his clay-dragon around and looked towards the center of the massive crater his opponent had created. In the center stood a crimson chakra fox with four swishing tails down on all fours with that same annoying grin on its face.

It was mocking him with its grin!

"**Had enough yet?"** Naruto growled out in an unearthly tone.

"You annoying little brat! You dare to mock my art?! I'll kill you, yeah!" Deidara shouted angrily at him.

Several small projectile-like clay birds shot out of the clay-dragon and sped towards the fox with great speed. Naruto saw it coming however and so he lifted his right arm up and clenched his crimson fist before bringing it down on the ground with monstrous force. The resulting shockwave that was released sent ripples of earth in all directions stretching for miles even as the blast destroyed the approaching attack from Deidara.

"**Are you done?"** The fox taunted with that same grin on its face.

"Not quite, yeah," the bomber's glare intensified as did is anger at the fox below. He pulled out a small object made of clay from his pouch at his side and said, "I underestimated you so I won't hold back, yeah". Deidara steered his clay-dragon directly above the fox and dropped the mass of clay down towards it, "let's see how you like C3, yeah".

Naruto tried to dodge but the Youki that was constantly moving around him made it hard to move more than a few feet before the clay-bomb detonated.

* * *

The ground shook causing those of the Konoha Retrieval Team to stop as they suddenly heard the grumbling sound of an explosion.

"Okay what the hell was that?" Kiba asked as the earth stopped shaking.

"It came from up ahead," Kakashi told them.

"We must hurry!" Yamato shouted and they took off again.

As the team continued Sakura's mind focused on the one person she knew she had to meet again, _'Naruto…'_

* * *

"How do you like my C3? It's a blast, yeah?" Deidara said as a statement more than a question.

The dust cleared after a few moments and Naruto could be seen still in his four-tailed form.

"**Where's Pein?"** The question was so simple and yet filled with so much anger that it was slightly disturbing to the Akatsuki bomber.

"I'm not telling, yeah," Deidara said with a grin as he saw the fox level a glare at him.

"**Then I'll make you talk,"** Naruto growled out.

He suddenly let out a massive roar sending shockwaves across the crater; his body shook for a moment as dozens of blue and red ball were released from his body.

"Now what are you doing?" the bomber asked quickly losing his grin. Naruto didn't answer as he brought his tails up in front of his mouth and the balls suddenly started to merge together between the tips, "well that looks unhealthy, yeah". Deidara veered away determined to put some distance between the two as now completely black ball in the hovering just above the fox's head imploded in on itself until it was the size of a pebble, _'that much condensed chakra can kill me if I'm not careful'._

"**Yonbiko Imari".**

* * *

"We're getting close," Yamato reported as they drew near.

The group stopped suddenly as they felt a massive amount of chakra being released followed by a blind light shining through the tree in front of them. Shockwaves rippled passed them which would have blown them away had they not been using chakra to remain where they were.

"Okay enough of this shit; what the hell was that just now?!" Kiba asked in a shout after the light dissipated and the noise settled down.

"I believe that was the Kyuubi's jutsu," Yamato informed them. "I remember feeling something similar when Naruto fought Orochimaru," the Anbu Captain added.

"That was an Oni-jutsu? How far away are we from them?" Kakashi asked remembering when he saw Naruto use two-tails worth of power.

"Thirty-two kilometers," Yamato answered as looking at the direction of the blast.

"It will take us thirty minutes to get there even at ninja speed," Kakashi shook his head and took off. "Let's move," the rest of the team followed right after.

* * *

Dust clouded the area from view; the rumbling of rocks, trees and other things falling down filled the air with a sickening smell. A long line of shifted dirt led from the center of the crater to the wide canyon at its edge which stretched for additional twenty miles outside of the crater. Naruto let a grin spread across his Youki covered face as he saw Deidara standing on one knee breathing with difficulty.

The Akatsuki bomber's cloak was in ruins and his body was littered with numerous scrapes and scratches. He had used almost all of his remaining clay to hold back the blast and even though it wasn't a direct hit it still dealt a lot of damage.

Deidara started shouting angrily at him, "how are you so much stronger that before? It must be your demon; yes it must be your demon. It's inhuman to progress at such a rate; I'll kill you, you damned demon!"

He didn't care about capturing the Jinchuuriki anymore; all he wanted was to kill this boy once and for all even if he had to die to do it. He tore off his ruined cloak along with his shirt revealing his scarred body riddled with stitches. The bomber suddenly started laughing uncontrollably as he undid one of the stitches in his chest and once the stitches were opened Naruto could clearly see what had been wrapped up.

It was a mouth; he had a mouth in the middle of his chest. He pulled out all of the clay he had left which was only a handful and stuffed it into his chest-mouth allowing it to chew and swallow it.

"Let me introduce you to my ultimate art," Deidara said with a crazed smile. Crack-like webs began to form on his skin branching out of his chest-mouth, "I will detonate myself here and now".

"**You're insane," **Naruto snarled as he watched the cracks continue to expand to every corner of the bomber's body.

"Never before has an explosion like this been seen Kitsune-Sennin," Deidara laughed as he saw the fox narrow its eyes. "The art I will create will scar the earth and light the heavens. With this act I shall become art," the bomber's skin was beginning to dissolve now as the mouth in his chest seemed to condense into a ball of chakra resembling a face. "When I become true art Kyuubi Jinchuuriki you will die!" his legs were gone now with only wire-like chakra threads remaining. "The blast will destroy everything within a ten mile radius and not even you can possibly survive it, yeah!" his arms were gone now and the cracks had reached his head.

'_**I have to get away,'**_ Naruto tried to move but felt the Youki still weighing him down.

"Are you afraid now?" Deidara taunted seeing the fox try to flee. "You can't escape me now; cower in awe! Recoil in despair; cry your heart out!" the last of his body had dissolved and wire-chakra threads retracted back to the floating ball of chakra which seemed to have a smiling face on it.

'_**There's not enough time,'**_Naruto's pure white eyes widened in horror as the floating chakra head seemed to glow.

"Because my art…is a blast!"

* * *

The Retrieval Team stopped again as a massive explosion sent rippling shockwaves across the land. Thankfully they were still quite a few miles off so none of them were hurt but the fact that they could see the explosion even this distance was very discomforting.

"Now what?" Kiba growled.

"That chakra…it's the same as the Akatsuki member Naruto and I fought back when Kazekage-sama was kidnapped," Kakashi stated remembering the blond bomber who appeared to have committed suicide rather than surrender. Once the blast appeared to have died down the team continued on, "everyone be careful. We don't know what we're walking into".

They nodded as one as they closed in on one of their objectives…

* * *

Nii Yugito had experienced a lot of emotions during her sixteen years of life from angry to happy. One emotion however she hadn't felt since she was six years old and that emotion was fear. Fear for someone close to her getting hurt; when she saw the massive explosion she thought that the worst had happened and quickly after arriving on the scene found the entire crater covered in smoke and dust.

"Naruto!" she called out using her hands and chakra to amplify her voice but received no answer. "Naruto!" she called again but again got no reply.

Her eyes catch a flicker of light from within the dust cloud; she immediately jumps down towards it. Once she was close enough she was able to identify what it was; Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto lay on his back unconscious. His trench coat wasn't anywhere to be seen and his clothes were covered in blood which she identified as his own. She kneeled beside his body and began to channel some chakra into her hands to heal the burnt skin covering his body.

Once she was finished she then bit her thumb and went through a few hand-seals before slamming her hand down on the ground, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu". The one-tailed cat she had ridden before poofed into existence, "hello Rei-Chan. I need your help with this if you don't mind?"

The cat princess looked at the two before nodding, "very well Yugito-dono".

"There's a town not too far from here; let's go," Yugito slung Naruto over her shoulder and climbed on the cat.

Rei nodded at the directions and took off at high speed away from the still smoking crater…

* * *

The Retrieval Team dropped down from the trees and landed near the crater.

Kiba sniffed the air and shook his head, "I can't smell anyone with the amount of smoke in the air".

"I cannot see anyone within range of the crater," Neji informed the team as he shut off his Byakugan.

"Me neither," Hinata added saddened.

"What could have done this?" Tenten asked as she looked over the wide crater with the canyon attached to it.

"Naruto," Yamato replied simply.

"Are we talking about the same happy-go-lucky blond here? Last time I checked Naruto never did like mindless destruction," Tenten sent him a glare.

Yamato shook his head and pointed at the canyon attached to the crater, "no; we're talking about the student of the late Jiraiya-sama who is hunting the man who killed his sensei".

They only needed one glance at the canyon to know that Naruto hadn't held anything back; despite knowing this however they couldn't help but fail to match the image they knew of Naruto with the mass destruction around them.

"There are also traces of chakra from the Akatsuki member we encountered on the Kazekage Retrieval mission in the crater. The blast pattern matches with Iwa clay bombs," Neji informed them.

"Is he dead?" Kakashi asked in a tone that made it know that he was completely serious.

Neji nodded, "according to the chakra residue he was near or in the center of the blast when it occurred".

"Well at least he went out with a bang," Tenten joked lightening the mood.

"What about Naruto?" Kakashi asked casting a look towards Yamato.

The Anbu Captain shook his head, "he's powered down. I can't track him now".

Neji also shook his head, "the large amount of chakra in the area is masking everyone's chakra signatures so I am unable to ascertain his location".

Kakashi sighed and nodded, "alright then; everyone split up a search. I doubt they've gone far so let's find them".

**Fire Country: Konoka Town**

Pain lanced through his body waking him up startled for a moment; he sat up groggily and looked around trying to get his bearings. He was in a room with a single double bed and an open window.

"Your awake; that's a relief," a voice came from the side and he snapped his head in its direction. "I thought you weren't going to wake up for a moment there," Yugito said from the door.

Naruto rested his head back against the bed frame and asked, "how long was I out?"

"32 hours and 53 minutes," Yugito answered with a sigh.

"A day and a half," Naruto rubbed his eyes in concentration.

"There's something else; Konoha ninja are here," the moment she said that she had his full attention.

"What? Why?" asked the Kitsune-Sennin with narrowed eyes.

"They're after us; they've been asking around town for us for the last two days. Thankfully however they are unable to locate us because of the amount of raw chakra scattered everywhere thanks to our little skirmish with Akatsuki." Yugito told him.

"How long until the chakra stops masking our signatures?" Naruto asked climbing out of the bed.

"Six hours at most," she answered truthfully.

"Then I think it's about time we left, huh?" they both knew it wasn't a suggestion. After putting on his jumpsuit he asked, "Yugito…where's my coat?"

"It was destroyed when you released Kyuubi's power; mine did the same when I used Nibi's," she told him.

"Damn."

**Author's Notes:**

I know its short but I didn't know what else to put in it, sorry. Anyway I've gone back and corrected the grammar mistakes I could find in the previous chapters and also put in translations like the one below concerning the fight scenes.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox

Neko = Cat

Sennin = Sage

Yonbiko Imari = Four-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball

Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Summoning Technique

Please read and review.

See Ya Later…


	12. Fulfilled Promise

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter12: Fulfilled Promise

**Fire Country: Forest**

The newly formed Team Hebi jumped from tree to tree towards where the large flashes of light that signified a battle originated from. Sasuke dropped down to the ground floor and pulled out the weapon attacked to his back as his eyes turned red and shifted into the Sharingan.

"What do you want?" the Uchiha asked annoyed as his team-mates dropped down beside him.

"To deliver a message," a plant-like figure emerged from the ground. **"Itachi** **is waiting for you Uchiha at the old Uchiha hideaway just north of the village,"** spoke the darker half of the man's face.

"It could be a trap," Suigetsu mused the idea.

"He's not lying," Sasuke said with no emotion, his red eyes were still spinning. "My Sharingan can tell he's not," the Uchiha stated and suddenly appeared behind the Akatsuki member in a gust of wind.

"What? / **What?"** both sides of the plant-like creature exclaimed in surprise as the Kusenagi Sword cut through him and cleaved him in half (literally).

"Your message has been delivered," the Uchiha said without a hint of sympathy.

"Oh Sasuke-kun you're so cool," Karin squealed with delight at seeing the display of strength (or should I say brutality).

Sasuke didn't say anything but motioned for them to continue and the team started off towards the north. On their way however they ran into a little problem…A lone figure shot down in their path and tried to cut the group down; even though it cleanly missed the initial swing with its weapon Jugo's arm was still cut like part of his skin was shaved off.

"Now what?" Suigetsu asked in annoyance as he skidded along the ground clutching the handle of theKubikiri Hōchō which rested on his shoulder.

"I cut off your limbs before giving you all a nice long death," Kisame told them as he shouldered is sword.

"Go Sasuke! We can deal with this bastard," Suigetsu shouted to him before charging towards his opponent. His sword drawn out as Kisame grinned like a shark about to catch its food.

The Uchiha nodded and executed a quick _Shunshin no Jutsu_ further north; he didn't even bother to cast one glance back towards his team.

* * *

'_That's…'_ Sakura gulped as she hid behind a tree.

"You might as well come out Haruno-san," spoke Uchiha Itachi. She stepped out of cover after only a moment of hesitation and she couldn't help but look at his activated Sharingan, "you are either very brave or very stupid to come here alone".

Sakura remained silent for a moment before she asked, "you've already caught me in a Genjutsu; haven't you?" Itachi didn't say anything so she continued, "Are you going to kill me?"

"No," Itachi answered.

"The why are you here?" Sakura asked confused but not letting her guard down.

Itachi didn't answer but instead asked a question, "Why do you oppose us? Why have you been trying to take my brother and Naruto-kun back to Konoha?"

"W-what?" Sakura stuttered.

"We of the Akatsuki are trying to bring this world true peace," Itachi stated.

Sakura's face settled into a glare, "you call attacking Suna and Konoha ninja an act of peace?!"

"You can't understand," the Uchiha said in a condescending tone. "I can't tell you everything; there is no time for that. All you need to know is everything Sasuke has done has been for nothing and he still has a chance to redeem himself should he chose to."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked confused.

"If Sasuke chooses not to redeem himself then he will attack Konoha and kill everyone in it," Itachi stated causing the pink haired kunoichi's eyes to widen. "Can you kill him if need be?"

"H-he wouldn't do something like that," Sakura said shaking her head.

"Then you clearly do not know him," the Uchiha said in a condescending tone. "Naruto-kun does not need redeeming; Konoha was in the wrong for what they did to him".

"Konoha's made some mistakes in the past but-" Sakura tried to defend but was cut off.

"A lot of crimes have been committed for the 'good of Konoha' since its founding; Naruto-kun's exile is just another thing added onto a very long list of crimes done by the village." Itachi interrupted. "If Naruto-kun were to return to Konoha he would be executed for the 'good of Konoha' just like me."

"He's nothing like you," Sakura snarled.

"Oh?" Itachi raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I believe you are mistaken; despite Konoha's attempts at controlling him and his strength Naruto-kun has grew much more powerful in such a short amount of time…just like I did at his age." The Uchiha's features returned to normal as he asked, "What would you do if Naruto-kun were to be captured by Konoha and sentenced to death? Surely you realise that is what will happen should he ever be captured by Konoha".

"Konoha wouldn't-".

"What would you do?" Itachi asked again cutting her off.

Sakura gulped and looked away, "I-I don't know".

"I pray you find the answer because if you do not then Konoha will burn and everything I have worked for will have been for nothing," Itachi told her.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked not understanding him.

"It doesn't matter…here," he raised his arm and it burst into three black sparrows.

Sakura's eyes widened as the birds entered her mouth and disappeared inside her body. She dropped to the ground coughed uncontrollably before eventually catching her breath.

"What-" she coughed again before continuing. "What did you do to me?!" she yelled.

"I just gave you something that I pray you never have to use; think of it as a sort of…gift," Itachi closed his eyes and burst into a cluster of black sparrows. "I must be going now; I have a prior engagement".

"Wait!" she called out but as the bird began to flutter away.

"When the time comes I hope you make the right choice," the birds disappeared and though she tried she couldn't seem to track him.

'_What did he mean by that?'_ Sakura thought as she looked around.

* * *

"Well? Did anyone find anything?" Kakashi asked the assembled group already knowing the answer.

"Nothing," Yamato reported.

"We couldn't find anything," Neji spoke for the others.

Sakura didn't say anything knowing she didn't have any information relative to the situation.

Kakashi sighed and asked, "Do we even know if they are still in the area?"

A sudden chakra spike caught everyone's attention and they all snapped their heads in its direction.

"What's that?" Kiba asked feeling a gathering chakra.

"That chakra…that's Sasuke's curse seal," Kakashi's eye widened before it narrowed. "Let's go," they all vanished in bursts of speed.

"What is to be our course of action once we arrive?" Shino inquired as they jumped from tree to tree.

"Well we-" Kakashi started but snapped his head up and jumped to the right, "watch out!"

"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" a voice called out as the Retrieval Team jumped to the side to evade the large blue fireball that descended from the sky.

"Now what?" Yamato muttered under his breath.

"I'm afraid I cannot let you passed," the attacker stated as he stood on a nearby branch. His Akatsuki cloak fluttered in the wind as he lifted his head revealing the orange mask he wore on his face, "I cannot allow you to interfere".

'_Who is this guy?'_ Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he examined their adversary.

**Fire Country: Uchiha Hideout**

Rubble covered the land all around leaving no room for any kind of natural life to live. The sky had turned a mix between red and black with thunder storms raging above while massive black flames stretched out for miles some distance away. In the center of all this chaos lay two brothers; one dead and the other unconscious.

This was the scene Naruto flash-stepped himself and Yugito to. They had left earlier that day intending on getting out of Fire Country when they felt the massive chakra spikes accompanied by the roar of a Raiton: Kirin and the black flames of Amaterasu. On their way there they had come across the horrific remains of an Oto Team that seemed to have been skinned alive with what Yugito indentified as Kisame's sword: Samehada.

"This was definitely the result of a Kirin; the blast pattern matches it perfectly," Yugito told him as she examined the area.

"Sasuke…" Naruto muttered almost silently as he looked down at the man who he once considered a friend.

_I think that someone who can't even save his best friend isn't worthy of the title Hokage…what do you think Sasuke?_

"Itachi is dead but from what I can tell he…he isn't critically injured," Yugito stated as she scanned the dead Uchiha beside Sasuke.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked looking over at her.

"He…he appears to have died because of an illness…I've never seen something like this before; it's like the illness came from his eyes." The Neko-Sennin answered after her hands stopped glowing.

Naruto nodded and made a hand-seal, "come on we're leaving. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," a clone popped into existence beside them. Yugito nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck as the clone picked up Sasuke off of the ground, "hang on tight; I don't want you falling off."

She nodded as his clone and Sasuke disappeared in a collection of flashes. She closed her eyes knowing if she kept them open she would feel dizzy in moments; honestly how Naruto could figure out where he was going while using his jutsu was beyond her. The next moment however she felt a gust of wind and along with feeling weightless for a brief moment.

"Shunpo no Jutsu."

* * *

Moments later Tobi and Kisame arrived at the scene find only Itachi lying on the ground.

"Well he's dead," Kisame stated as he checked the body.

"What about Sasuke; where is he?" Tobi asked in a tone that Kisame knew meant he was not amused.

The swordsman sniffed the air and shook his head, "he's long gone…that stench…he must have been taken by those two Sennin brats".

Tobi's only visible eye flashed red with anger as he sent a shockwave at the nearby makeshift cliff destroying it instantly.

"Those brats are becoming a major thorn in my side," Tobi gritted out as he turned to Kisame. "Pick up Itachi; we're leaving for now," he ordered.

Kisame nodded and asked, "what about the Biju?"

"This is just a minor setback; I'll show them the Uchiha's power. _My_ power; the power of Uchiha Madara when the time is right," _Madara_ growled out in anger.

Kisame didn't argue as he silently picked up his old partner and was suddenly grabbed by Madara. The three disappeared in a swirl of black and orange as it started to rain upon the great battlefield where the cries of several strong individuals had been fighting over the past few days.

* * *

The Konoha Retrieval Team was the last to reach the scene finding nothing but rubble with the rain pouring down on the land.

"This is the place," Neji informed them.

"Split up and search! Report in anything you find!" Kakashi shouted out the orders and the team dispersed to check the surround area. He turned to Kiba and asked, "Can you smell anything?"

The Inuzuka shook his head as he answered, "The rain is wiping away the scents…"

Kakashi sighed and shook his head, "so we're too late".

Off at the side Sakura couldn't help but look down as a single tear slid down her cheek, _'Sasuke-kun…Naruto…'_

"Alright; we're returning to Konoha…we have no reason to stay out here any longer," the copy-nin said to the group.

**Fire Country: Dusk Mountain**

The next day _Uchiha_ Sasuke's first emotion as he regained consciousness was one of pain and exhaustion. Every muscle he had was aching from his battle with Itachi but that didn't matter because he had finally did it. He had finally killed the man responsible for killing his family and achieved his ambition.

_Tap…Tap…Tap_

He managed to open his eyes and found that he couldn't seem to move. Looking around he found himself in a small dark room with a closed window shining light in and a door directly in front of him. He tried to move but found that he was tied to a chair with numerous seals on the ground around him which he recognized as chakra suppression seals. He tried to pulse his Cursed Seal to free himself but it didn't seem to respond and from that moment on he knew something was wrong.

"If you're trying to use that hickey you got from the snake then I'm sorry to inform you that it's been destroyed," Sasuke stiffened at the voice but relaxed as he recognized it.

"What do you mean dobe?" the Uchiha asked looking over his shoulder.

"Don't ask me how but that _thing_ on your neck is gone," Naruto told him ignoring the 'dobe' comment as he stepped out and stood in front of him.

"…It doesn't matter anymore; Itachi is dead…" Sasuke trailed off resting his head back against the chair.

"And so is your team," Naruto continued.

The Uchiha didn't even flinch, "they were irrelevant. They were merely a means to an end," he was unprepared for the punch to the face from Naruto as his head was knocked to the side.

"You stupid bastard! People aren't just some tools for you to use and then discard whenever you want!" shouted the Kitsune-Sennin as he grabbed the Uchiha by the collar. "Why do you always have to be like this? You're such an arrogant asshole! You haven't changed one bit since we were Genin; do you even know what you're going to do now? Huh? With Itachi dead you don't have anything left! Not Oto, not Konoha, nothing!"

Sasuke let a smirk cross his face as he chuckled like a certain snake, "kukukuku, actually Konoha would welcome me back with open arms".

"What did you say?" Naruto glared pulled his face up so that they were eyelevel.

"As the _last_ Uchiha I can return to Konoha whenever I want and when I return I will be granted amnesty for my actions because I have killed both Orochimaru and Itachi." Sasuke answered looking bored but the look in his eyes made him look smug. Naruto remained silent and let him go before taking a step back and grinning down at him knowing the perfect way to take him down a peg or two.

"And yet you couldn't kill Itachi could you?" Naruto asked seeing Sasuke lose his smirk.

"I did kill Itachi; I watched as he died," Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"But you didn't kill him did you? He dropped dead before you could avenge your _loving _family," Naruto watched as Sasuke tried to leap out of the chair but the restraints kept him pinned.

"Don't you dare insult my family dobe; I know I killed Itachi because he was exhausted be-" the Uchiha snarled at him.

"Actually Itachi died because his illness finally caught up with him," _that_ stopped Sasuke's rant in its tracks.

"What illness?" Sasuke asked narrowing his eyes further.

"Apparently Itachi had been suffering from some kind of illness for the past eight years and it finally caught up with him during his fight with you." Naruto answered.

"You're lying," Sasuke said lowly.

"Have you ever heard me lie about something as important as this?" it was a rhetorical question. (**Note: **I'm just wondering; has Naruto actually lied at all in the series?) "Anyway you didn't kill him; nor did you _avenge _your clan…you just wasted your time as his body finally gave out on him." Sasuke struggled against his bonds again trying to break free.

"Shut up! You're lying! You're just saying that to impress Sakura aren't you?! Still working on that _promise_ you made h-" that got him another punch to the face this time making him cough up blood.

"For the record; I promised Sakura I'd bring you back to Konoha…she never specified that you had to be alive," Naruto's eyes turned red for just a moment. "You're not as special as you might think," he told him and nodded behind the Uchiha.

Before Sasuke could think he was hit over the back of the head with something and fell into unconsciousness once again.

"What should we do with him?" Yugito asked stepping out from behind the Uchiha.

"We're going to drop him off at Konoha's doorstep and fulfil one of my promises that is long overdue," Naruto sighed.

"What about the Akatsuki Leader? He's still out there," Yugito asked remembering the original reason for them both going out to hunt Akatsuki.

"…We were nearly killed Yugito and I doubt the ones we fought are even close to Pein's level." Naruto shook his head and leaned back against the cabin wall, "we need to get stronger if we want to stand a chance against them".

"…So we're running again?" Yugito asked not liking where this was going.

"No; we're just going to lay low for awhile until Pein decides to pay us a visit," Naruto answered.

"What do you mean 'pay us a visit'; you sound like your waiting for him to come to you," she said eyeing him.

"No; what I meant is when he decides to come out into the open then we will fight him…" Naruto replied as his eyes turned red and his pupils became slitted.

"Isn't that a bit risky?" asked the Neko-Sennin.

"…Maybe but it's better than just attacking him in his home territory," Naruto said as he shifted his weight and proceeded towards the door with Yugito not far behind.

As they closed the door behind them the room fell deathly silent as the last Uchiha remained completely unconscious.

**Author's Notes:**

Well how was it? Good? Bad? Can't really decide? I swear to god this chapter was a pain in the ass to write. Seriously.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Shunpo no Jutsu = Flash Step Technique

Shunshin no Jutsu = Body Flicker Technique

Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique

Amaterasu = Illuminating Heaven

Raiton: Kirin = Lightning Release: Qilin (According Wikipedia this is its translation)

Nothing new to report so please read and review.

See Ya Later…


	13. Emotions

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter13: Emotions

**Wave Country: Tazuna's House**

It took a week to return to Wave Country but they didn't mind; the ninja patrolling the area did cause a bit of a problem but they couldn't match Tsukino's and Rei's speed and stamina. On their way here however Naruto had sent Tsukino to drop off Sasuke at Konoha's gates so as to fulfil a promise he had made long ago. The paws of the horse-sized cat and fox seemed to clatter down on the metal of the Great Naruto Bridge even as they reduced their speed.

As they passed through the town many of the folks saw them they immediately recognized the two and began to cheer seeing that they had returned. Naruto and Yugito forced smiles onto their faces and waved back as the two rode their respective summons through the town towards their destination. They both felt exhausted from on the move since their little skirmish with the Akatsuki; thankfully no one had pursued them so they didn't have to worry too much about that.

Once they arrived at the lakeside house of the town mayor they were greeted by Tsunami and brought inside. Tsunami left the two to wash up and allowed them to settle back in while she finished the dinner (fortunately for Inari they were having beef this time).

At dinner however things got a little complicated…

"So you basically had your asses kicked?" Tazuna asked bluntly.

"Father!" Tsunami shouted at him indignantly.

"No he's right; if we hadn't accessed the power of our respective demon's then we both would have died back there," Naruto shook his head truthfully. He leaned back in his chair and continued, "They had us beat and they knew it".

"It can't be as bad as you're making it sound," Inari spoke up. "I mean you both won…right?"

Yugito nodded slightly, "yes but we barely survived against them and the ones we fought we're nothing but pawns".

"We need to get stronger; and faster," Naruto said as he clenched his fists.

"Actually I've been thinking about that," Yugito said catching his attention. "My jutsu: Kaizuki isn't finished; I still have some work to do on it…what about you?"

Naruto sat back trying to think of something, "I…I might have something to work on but I doubt I can finish it in time. It's something I've been thinking about ever since I learned Futon: Daitoppa and mastered the Futon: Rasenshuriken".

"That's what shadow clones are for remember?" asked the Neko-Sennin. "I mean they've been good for us so far so why not now?"

"I suppose…"

"Can you teach me something too?" Inari asked surprising everyone there.

"Inari…" Tsunami trailed off as she caught the look he sent her.

"But I hate being useless; we always have to ask ninja of other countries to fight for us. I want to be a ninja but I don't want to join any village; _especially Konoha_" the preteen stated.

Naruto stared at him for a few seconds and then sighed, "…are you sure? I mean the life of a Shinobi isn't really easy and people could end up using your friends and family just to get to you".

"I know it's selfish but…I just want to protect everyone," Inari answered.

"…Alright; come to the training field tomorrow morning…and don't be late," Naruto told him after a moment of thinking.

"I'll be there," Inari said with a smile.

The rest of the dinner passed relatively quietly with everyone just enjoying each other's company; it was moments like this that Yugito couldn't help but smile at. No matter how bad things got or how many problems life seemed to throw at them it was moments like this that she was thankful for. A single moment of peace where there was no danger, no fear of attack and no hatred in the world around them.

* * *

After dinner the two returned to their room and got changed for bed. They climbed into the same bed and faced away from each other. (If you rewind to chapter 7 then you will realise that Yugito has nightmares because of what happened to her mother and needs to be woken up sometimes).

"Naruto?" Yugito whispered.

"Yeah?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Why did you agree to train Inari? I mean I thought you wanted to go after Pein and Akatsuki so why?" she asked turning to face him.

The Kitsune-Sennin turned as well and answered, "Because I was like him once. A long time ago I asked my sensei at the time: Kakashi for training and he refused preferring to teach the Uchiha and handing me off to some other Jonin who did nothing but criticise my chakra control. Neither of them even realised that at the time the only reason my chakra control was beyond horrible was because Orochimaru had placed a suppression seal on the Kyuubi's seal to block out its power. I'm lucky I came across Ero-Sennin or Gaara would have killed me and done a lot more damage to Konoha if not outright destroy it".

"You're…serious?" she asked having heard of nothing but great things about the copy-nin of Konoha.

Naruto nodded slightly, "it wasn't until I failed to get Sasuke back the second time that he actually wanted to train me and even that I suspect would have just been for the purpose of recovering the traitor".

Silence descended upon the darkened room as Yugito suddenly pulled him into tight hug.

"You shouldn't keep your emotions bottled up like this Naruto…it's not healthy," she whispered. _'Why does he never let anyone in? Is it to cope with the pain he feels?'_

Naruto just closed his eyes and tried to block out the pain he felt, "I know but…I can't help but wonder what would have happened back then if he actually paid attention to me like he did to Sasuke. Ero-Sennin taught me more in the one month before the finals of the Chunin Exam than Kakashi did in the entire time I was on Team 7".

Yugito just held him tightly, "I see. So that's why you agreed to train Inari; you don't want to make the same mistake he made with you". _'And you know I'll be there if you need me'._ She smiled slightly and pulled back slightly so she rested her head on the pillow, "if that's the case then why did you send the Uchiha back to Konoha knowing that they'd let him off scot-free?"

"Because he can no longer have children," Naruto answered.

This of course surprised Yugito, "what did you do?"

"I put a seal on him that Ero-Sennin taught was created in order to control the population of bloodline clans; I just put one on Sasuke before Tsukino-Chan delivered him to Konoha," Naruto explained. "He's only ever wanted two things in his life; to kill Itachi and restore his clan…the seal makes sure that he can't restore his clan and…you already know how he failed in killing Itachi".

"Aren't you worried that Konoha might retaliate or destroy the seal?" she asked.

Naruto just grinned at her and answered truthfully, "Konoha can try and get to me all they want but they won't and as for Sasuke…to release a seal that advanced you would need an incredible amount of chakra and knowledge of it to even have a chance of destroying it".

"How long do you think it will take them to realise what you've done?" Yugito asked imagining the looks on the councilmember's faces when they realise what had happened. _'You sneaky little fox,'_ she added in thought with a slight chuckle.

"They probably already know," Naruto said with a grin.

After a few moments of silence Yugito said tiredly, "we should get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow".

"Yeah you're right," he covered his mouth as he let out a yawn and nodded, "goodnight Yugito".

"Goodnight Naruto," she said back and smiled when she saw he was unconscious. Catching herself staring she shook her head and widened her eyes slightly, _'what's wrong with me?'_ She pulled back slightly shook herself, _'am I…falling for him?'_

She shook herself again just let her mind wonder and before she knew it she had fallen asleep as well…

They both knew that the coming days would be stressful but at that moment while holding each other in their arms they just didn't care.

* * *

In the following days Naruto had poured all of his effort into completing two of his jutsus using the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to speed things along. One of which was a fully completed stage six Rasengan infused with the wind element that would surpass the power of the stage five Futon: Rasenshuriken. He had also begun working on a wind jutsu based on the Futon: Daitoppa though in comparison the new jutsu was a lot more powerful which he had yet to find a name for.

Yugito on the other hand had taken her jutsu: Kaizuki to its most extreme level and nearly melting her hand to the bone when she first tried to use it. Yugito had also tried to add her fire and lightning elements into her arrows making them more powerful but she knew just training in using them was useless unless she had a target. Fortunately (for her) Naruto's shadow clones were available for her 'target practice' as she called it.

The two Sennin had also started teaching Inari on the basics of being a Shinobi like how to channel chakra and how to throw shuriken and kunai. That surprisingly only took a few days and because of that Naruto (against Yugito's better judgement) decided to teach him Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and Hein (which Naruto learned how to do after channelling his wind-chakra into his sword).

During this time however all was not well as Yugito grew more worried about Naruto when he seemed to throw himself into his training to forget the pain he felt and she soon realised that he had done this before as a sort of coping mechanism. One day however an old _talking _toad had entered the town asking to speak to Naruto (naturally people were freaked at this) and after about five minutes the two Sennin had shown up.

After reassuring the townsfolk that everything was alright which they took his word for (being the town hero had its perks after all) the old toad whose name was Fukasaku (though he insisted on being called Pa) handed the Kitsune-Sennin a book. According to the toad it was Jiraiya's first book: The Legend of the Gutsy Ninja and when asked why it was being given to him the toad just replied saying Jiraiya would have wanted him to have it.

The toad elder had left soon after but not before telling him that the toads will stand by his side as his son Gamabunta had decreed. Yugito decided not to get involved since they were Naruto's summons after all; she was however a bit surprised to find out that the main character in the book was teenager called Naruto.

She caught him reading it late at night on more than one occasion after that…

**Rain Country: Ame / Akatsuki Headquarters**

"We've lost three more," Konan said breaking the silence of the darkened cavern.

"Those two brats are quickly becoming a nuisance," Madara said with his Sharingan spinning wildly.

"What are we going to do about them?" Kisame asked. "If I'm not mistaken they have done more damage to this organization than any other faction. Even Orochimaru's defection hasn't hurt us this badly".

Pein narrowed his eyes and said, "This is a minor setback, nothing more".

"They've went back into hiding and without Zetsu we have no way of locating them," Konan spoke as she sent looks at the remaining members.

Madara remained silent for a moment before he finally spoke, "Pein, Konan, you two hunt the Kyuubi and the Nibi".

"And what about the Hachibi?" Pein asked send the Uchiha a stare.

"Leave the Hachibi; it still has a village to help it and so will not be as easily acquired," Madara replied.

Pein fell silent for a moment before he spoke again, "it would be almost impossible to find them now that they've gone into hiding again…it would be better if we could draw them out somehow".

Madara chuckled darkly at that, "I have an idea on how to accomplish that".

**Fire Country: Root Headquarters**

Deep underground beneath Konoha councilmember Danzo sat in his office which he had inhabited for many years now. Many thoughts had plagued him for the past few days; mainly those about two certain individuals.

The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and the _Last_ Uchiha.

Those two _children_ had been causing him some rather painful headaches over the last few months. Despite what many believed Danzo had voted against having the young Namikaze exiled. He would have preferred that the boy be turned into a weapon which he could wield to destroy his enemies with more effectiveness than his Root Anbu forces.

Sadly that didn't happen and the boy was exiled _and_ marked as a Nukenin. Now however he had become an increasing threat to himself and the rest of Konoha if not every Shinobi village on the continent. That's what Danzo and the village council truly believed now anyways…

Then there's the Uchiha; Sasuke had been another nuisance to him until recently. When he and the Village Elders had used young Itachi to infiltrate and ultimately massacre the Uchiha Clan he had originally left Sasuke alone because of Itachi. However recent events had changed things; when Sasuke had defected from Konoha Danzo had wanted the boy killed.

Orochimaru was an elusive foe however and seemed to keep Sasuke out of his reach on more than one occasion over the past three years. Then Sai failed to kill Sasuke and not long afterwards Sasuke had killed Orochimaru leaving Danzo to have a more clear shot at killing the boy and erasing all traces of his involvement in the Uchiha Massacre once and for all.

This however didn't happen; instead not only was Sasuke returned to Konoha _alive_ but Itachi was dead now as well. Without Itachi then Sasuke was no longer a threat to him; this was both good and bad since he hadn't had any idea on what to do with the boy. Thinking back at the events of the Kyuubi attack sixteen years ago Danzo knew for the 'good of Konoha' that Sasuke was needed to in order to defeat and control that giant beast should it ever break free of its prison.

Danzo found that slightly ironic; the boy he had wanted dead more than anything would become Konoha's greatest weapon. _His_ weapon. He would do what was needed; he would offer young Sasuke a place in his Root forces. True the boy might be hard to control but nevertheless he would be an effective tool to use against his enemies.

Yes that's what he would do…

**Fire Country: Hyuga Compound**

At the home of the 'esteemed' Hyuga Clan the 'Konoha 10' (besides Sakura) as they were generally known as were currently dining. They usually went to these get-togethers once a month but after recent events it seemed everyone just needed to talk to someone. They all sat around the large table in the dining room talking about the various things that had happened recently. One of which was…

"I can't believe them!" Tenten shouted throwing her arms up in disbelief.

"Tenten," Neji said trying to get her to calm down.

"Come on Neji-kun; you can't tell me that the council is right in their decision! I mean come on after everything the Uchiha has done they let him go free with nothing more than a slap on the wrist and saying 'don't do it again'; what the hell?!" the weapon's mistress shouted in outrage. "If it were anyone else other than the Uchiha they would have been executed but nooooo not him. He's the _last_ Uchiha; he must be pampered and praised for stealing other people's hard work".

"I have to agree with her," Shikamaru spoke up getting surprised looks from the entire group. "I mean the council has basically circumvented the Hokage again and managed to get Sasuke free of all charges while Naruto is still exiled for simply being the _jailor _of the Kyuubi".

Chouji stopped eating the sushi he had on his plate and nodded. "I know what you mean; almost all of the Shinobi are steering clear of Sasuke".

"The civilians are praising him for killing Orochimaru and Itachi," Neji said shaking his head.

"That is most unyouthful," Lee said as he lowered his head.

"I heard from Shizune-sensei that old councilmember; Danzo I think his name it offered him a job as a part of his Root," Ino spoke up. "From what I heard Danzo wants him to be his personal weapon".

"Great," Kiba seemed to growl the word out. "I've heard about him; he's the one Sai works for and the councilmember my mother mentioned after Naruto was exiled".

"Speaking of Naruto…he's been officially marked as a nukenin," Shikamaru said surprising the group again.

"How?" Tenten asked.

"Apparently the Daimyo acknowledged that Naruto deserted his village and must be dealt with accordingly," the Nara answered.

"They didn't do that to the Uchiha when he went to a known _traitor_ who just so happened to have killed the Sandaime Hokage three years ago," Tenten said with slight anger.

"That's because the council didn't want him marked as a nukenin and neither did Hokage-sama because of Naruto and Sakura's feelings on the matter," Shikamaru replied.

"How's Sakura-san taking all of this anyway?" Tenten asked unsure.

"She's…I don't know really," Ino answered truthfully.

* * *

Haruno Sakura sat atop the roof of her home looking out at the setting sun with her legs pulled tightly to her chest. Her vision was clouded by the tears that continued to form and run down her face as she recalled everything that had happened. Naruto had kept his promise to bring Sasuke back since she knew only he could have done so (though the five-tailed fox that carried the traitor was a dead giveaway) but a part of her couldn't help but feel empty.

Her mind drifted back to the days in the academy which felt like a lifetime ago even though it was only four years. She remembered how she was always fighting with Ino over sitting next to Sasuke. How the rest of the 'Rookie Nine' at the time didn't seem to have a care in the world. How Sasuke brooded in the corner day after day and how Naruto…

Naruto.

It always came back to Naruto; he had always been there for her and she felt incredibly empty without him now that he was gone. Exiled for something out of his control, even though the council seemed to stick with the excuse that he was a danger to everyone. She didn't believe that and neither did anyone else in Konoha's Shinobi population. Hell even the civilians had started to like him and after his exile a lot of people were angered at the actions of the council.

Her mind drifted back to their days on Team 7; that was funny since she had been doing that a lot lately. He had always been so carefree and seemed to just be there for her whenever Sasuke turned her down and when Sasuke defected she had clung to Naruto and begged him to bring the Sasuke back to her.

Now though things were different; Naruto had kept his promise but at the cost of his dream. She knew he could no longer be Hokage and with the way things were going there was a high chance that _Sasuke_ would be named Hokage. She hated herself for being selfish and knew that she could never make it up to him but she wanted to try anyways.

Sasuke had barely said a word to her since he got back other than to finish his medic scans which Tsunade told her to do on him. He had been enraged when they discovered that he had a gene-destroyer seal placed on him so he couldn't have children which she knew only Naruto could do something like that.

Let's just say he didn't take the news that well…

A sudden memory flashed through her mind as she buried her head in her legs and cried.

_Flashback no Jutsu Begin_

"_You can't understand," the Uchiha said in a condescending tone. "I can't tell you everything; there is no time for that. All you need to know is everything Sasuke has done has been for nothing and he still has a chance to redeem himself should he chose to."_

"_What do you mean?" Sakura asked confused._

"_If Sasuke chooses not to redeem himself then he will attack Konoha and kill everyone in it," Itachi stated causing the pink haired kunoichi's eyes to widen. "Can you kill him if need be?"_

"_H-he wouldn't do something like that," Sakura said shaking her head._

"_Then you clearly do not know him," the Uchiha said in a condescending tone. "Naruto-kun does not need redeeming; Konoha was in the wrong for what they did to him"._

"_Konoha's made some mistakes in the past but-" Sakura tried to defend but was cut off._

"_A lot of crimes have been committed for the 'good of Konoha' since its founding; Naruto-kun's exile is just another thing added onto a very long list of crimes done by the village." Itachi interrupted. "If Naruto-kun were to return to Konoha he would be executed for the 'good of Konoha' just like me."_

"_He's nothing like you," Sakura snarled._

"_Oh?" Itachi raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I believe you are mistaken; despite Konoha's attempts at controlling him and his strength Naruto-kun has grew much more powerful in such a short amount of time…just like I did at his age." The Uchiha's features returned to normal as he asked, "What would you do if Naruto-kun were to be captured by Konoha and sentenced to death? Surely you realise that is what will happen should he ever be captured by Konoha"._

"_Konoha wouldn't-"._

"_What would you do?" Itachi asked again cutting her off._

_Sakura gulped and looked away, "I-I don't know"._

"_I pray you find the answer because if you do not then Konoha will burn and everything I have worked for will have been for nothing," Itachi told her._

_Flashback no Jutsu End_

'_What should I do?' _Sakura continued to cry as the sun finally set on the horizon.

She cried all night.

**Author's Notes:**

Well how's that for an emotional rollercoaster? Good? Bad? Well I hope you enjoyed it; the start was a pain to write but the rest was pretty easy in comparison. Anyway next chapter will be the start of something I'm sure you'll all enjoy very much. That's right; Pein finally goes on the offensive and lays waste to everything and everyone in his path.

As for the song from the last chapter; for those that have never read my other stories I occasionally put in songs that I think match a specific scene. Like last chapters: _How to Save a Life_ by _The Fray_ matched up pretty well with the fact that Naruto was trying to talk some sense into Sasuke. Just to clear that up…

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique  
Kaizuki = Fire Blade  
Futon: Daitoppa = Wind Release: Great Breakthrough  
Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere  
Futon: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken  
Hein = Flying Swallow

Anyways I'm back at work next week so don't expect any more fast updates like I've been doing the last few weeks. I'll try and keep doing what I'm doing but I'm not making any promises (unlike some people).

Please read and review.

See Ya Later…


	14. Eternal Pain Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter14: Eternal Pain Part 1

**Fire Country: Konoha**

The sound of an explosion echoed throughout the village hidden in the leaves. Hatake Kakashi looked up at that and snapped his head in the direction that the sound originated. Smoke blew up into the blue day time sky and he narrowed his only visible eye when he saw it.

'_I'd better check it out?' _he thought before he took off towards the blast.

He landed on the rooftop of a building and looked down at the street below. Standing there in the center of the street were two figures whom wore black cloaks covered in red clouds which he immediately identified as Akatsuki agents.

'_What are Akatsuki doing here? Naruto's no longer in Konoha so why would they openly attack us like this?'_ Kakashi asked in thought as he uncovered his Sharingan. He focussed in on the two and his eyes widened as he saw their eyes, _'those eyes…that must be the Rinnegan…Pein'._

One of the two tore off its cloak revealing its body; Kakashi looked on surprised as he saw the figure had fix arms, three faces and a long razor blade tail sprouting from its back. The main Pain stood back as several more Konoha Chunin and Jonin jumped in to face them. The scorpion-like Pein lunged at the oncoming ninja and proceeded to cut them down as they came.

'_What are they going here? This massacre makes no sense…I have to stop him-them,'_ the copy-nin as he made several hand-seals. "Rai Bunshin no Jutsu," another Kakashi appeared at his side and the two jumped down to face the Akatsuki agent(s).

Deva immediately took notice of Kakashi and his clone and sent Asura to intercept. Asura aimed his (tail) to pierce the original Kakashi but the clone jumped in the way. Deva's eyes narrowed as the clone exploded in a massive blast of electricity which stunned Asura.

"Raikiri!" Kakashi called out as he slashed through the Asura Path like it was made of butter with a fist covered in electricity.

'_Hatake Kakashi…he created a plan to neutralise the Asura Path from just one glance. Impressive,'_ Pein thought as he saw the copy-nin streaking towards him with the same lightning covered hand which sounded frighteningly like the chirping of one thousand birds.

'_Got him,'_ Kakashi thought as he got within range for a strike.

Things didn't go as planned though…

"Shinra Tensei," Deva whispered there was a sudden crack followed by the sound of an explosion as Kakashi and everything else within a ten meter radius was sent hurling away from the Deva Path.

'_What was that? That wasn't a shockwave,'_ the copy-nin asked in thought as he slammed hard through the wall of destroyed building. He stood up in the rubble and kept his attention on the Deva Path who hadn't moved since he last saw him, _'it felt like I was being pulled backwards by some invisible force'._

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," he heard the faint whisper and his eyes widened as he felt the large charge of chakra.

He took one look up before he jumped back just in time to dodge the large centipede that landed/crashed down on where he had been moments ago. Standing atop the monstrosity was another figure but this time it looked like a young girl with the same Rinnegan for eyes. Animal Path's eyes bore down on him as the centipede moved to assault the copy-nin.

'_This isn't good…did Jiraiya-sama really fight six of these things?'_ Kakashi asked in thought as he saw the summon approach at a frightening speed all the while destroying everything it its path.

"Ōkashō!" a blur of pink filled his vision and when it cleared he saw that the giant centipede had been sent flying backwards.

It crashed into the wall beside Deva as Animal dropped down beside him. Kakashi looked to his side when he saw another blur of pink and his eyes widened slightly in surprise at seeing who it was.

"Sakura?" he asked seeing her keep her eyes on the centipede she had just hit. "You shouldn't be here," he told her.

"I know; I was on my way to the hospital when I saw that things charging at you. What the hell's going on anyways?" asked the pink-haired Chunin.

"I'm not sure why they're here…though I think they're after Naruto," Kakashi stated while keeping his attention on the multi-man Akatsuki member.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked not getting it.

"Think about it; Naruto loves Konoha even if he can't return here willingly without getting into trouble. Attacking Konoha is a sure way to get his attention," Kakashi explained.

"You mean they're using us?!" asked the pink-haired Chunin in a near shout.

Kakashi nodded in reply, "I believe so. Sakura; I want you go the hospital right now. I'll handle things here; you're needed there especially with the increasing casualties from Pein's attack".

Sakura nodded and waved as she jumped away, "good luck".

Kakashi nodded grimly as he saw the main Pein hold up his open hand towards him, _'now what?'_

"Bansho Tenin," Deva said as Kakashi suddenly felt himself being pulled towards the three Peins.

'_He can attract things as well…now I get it he's manipulating gravity!'_ the copy-nin realised in thought as he threw out a wire which grabbed hold of the nearby post thus keeping him from 'falling' towards Pein. A fully repaired Asura Path stepped forward and bright his arm up towards where Kakashi now stood just as the giant centipede disappeared in a poof of smoke, _'now what?'_

"Kaiwan no Hiya," came the whisper just as Asura's fist shot towards the copy-nin.

'_This can't be good,'_ Kakashi thought as he jumped to avoid the hit.

Three builds seemed to collapse as the fist slammed into the ground where Kakashi stood a moment ago, _'note to self: avoid that at all cost'._

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," Animal said as she summoned what looked like a giant rhino.

'_Not again,'_ Kakashi thought as he jumped to avoid the oncoming force of nature. Just then Asura appeared behind him, _'when did he get so close?'_ The scorpion-like Pein grabbed him with one of its many hands and made to pierce him with its tail,_ 'damn he's got me!'_

"Futon: Hein," there was a blur of black and white as the hand which held Kakashi was suddenly cut clean off of Asura's body.

Asura pulled away just in time to dodge a large red ball of fire which impacted where he stood a moment ago, "Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu".

Just then Kakashi saw Asuma and Ebisu drop down beside him as the Asura Path regrouped with the others. Kakashi sighed in relief at seeing the reinforcements and turned his attention back to the Akatsuki member(s).

"Thank god we're not too late," Asuma said.

"You don't look to good Kakashi," Ebisu commented seeing the copy-nin's condition.

"This guy is strong; I don't know how Jiraiya-sama could have fought six of them like this…" Kakashi said as he shook himself trying to calm down.

"I don't think we should drag this out," the smoking Jonin said as he started making hand-seals and the exhaled a large black could of smoke at the Akatsuki member(s). "Katon: Haisekishō!"Asuma exclaimed as he tossed the cigarette he was smoking a moment ago into the cloud.

"Shinra Tensei".

The just as the cigarette ignited the cloud it was suddenly dispersed in a deafening explosion and left the three Pein's unharmed.

"What did he just do?" Asuma asked narrowing his eyes at where his jutsu was used a moment ago.

"It's the main body's jutsu; he can control gravity to some extent," Kakashi answered. He then continued while not taking his eyes off of the three bodies, "it seems he is able to use it for both offensive and defensive strategies".

"Watch out!" Asuma shouted as one of Asura's arms seemed to open and launched a volley of medium-sized missile-like projectiles at them. The three Jonin jumped out of the way but the missiles seemed track them,_ 'I have to dodge'._

Explosions littered the streets creating secondary explosions through several buildings causing them to collapse. Asuma and Ebisu landed on the upturned ground and tried to balance themselves again. Just then they heard the distinguished thuds of a large creature barrelling at them and turned just in time to avoid Pein's summoned rhino which was trying to run them over.

When Ebisu got his bearings again he made several hand-seals and exhaled a large ball of fire at the rampaging creature, "Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" The fireball hit its target but the rhino appeared to just shrug off the attack like it was nothing, _'this is no ordinary summoned creature'. _He turned his attention back to the three bodies of Pein…or should I say two,_ 'where's the third one?'_

He got his answer when he suddenly felt something sharp pierce his shoulder from behind. Just as quickly as the blade went in it was pulled out and he fought the pain just enough to turn around. His assailant: the Deva Path grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off his feet with shoulder still bleeding. Deva stared at him for a few moments before turning his attention on Asuma.

"Dammit," the smoker gritted under his breath and dashed for while channelling chakra into his two knives. "Futon: Hein," he said as he made to slash the main Pein.

Deva however saw it coming and lifted his unoccupied arm up towards his attacker and whispered.

"Shinra Tensei," Asuma's eyes in surprise as he was sent flying backward. He crashed hard into a patch of uplifted ground with a deafening explosion filling the air, "impressive but you are simply not good enough". Deva looked around searching for the last of the three Jonin but found no one, _'where is the copy-nin? I know he was here a moment ago'._

"Raikiri!" Animal turned quickly as she heard the shout. The moment she did however she was suddenly cut down with a fist encased in electricity, _'that's one down'. _The rhino disappeared in a poof of smoke thanks to its summoner's defeat and when he saw this Kakashi quickly turned his attention towards the Deva Path and launched a dog made of lighting at him, _'please work'. _Deva saw it coming and with seemingly little effort tossed the bleeding Ebisu to the side, _'yes he dropped him'._

"Shinra Tensei," Deva whispered as the lightning hound dissipated into the air just as it drew near him.

"Katon: Endan!" Kakashi called out as he exhaled a large stream of fire at the main Pein. Deva dodged to the side but Kakashi was already in motion and make hand-seals as he went, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Three shadow clones appeared at his side; one charged straight at Deva; another other charged at Asura and the last dashed towards where Ebisu was tossed too. While this happened the real Kakashi pushed a massive amount of chakra into his feet and jumped high into the air which was unnoticed by the two Peins.

The two clones that were sent to confront the two Peins were easily dispatched within moments however but Kakashi didn't care as he touched back down right behind Deva.

"Raikiri," Kakashi whispered as he lunged to pierce the Deva Path knowing that Pein hadn't realised he was there. However before the attack connected Deva ducked forward to avoid the attack without even looking at it or him,_ 'what? How did he know I was there or that I was attacking him like that?'_ That's when he caught sight of Asura standing off to the side staring at him intently, _'is he…can he see me using different bodies?'_

Deva turned swiftly and pulled out one of his chakra disruption blades/transmitters. Kakashi didn't have time to react as he suddenly felt the weapon pierce his shoulder and he was pushed back up against a wall. He gritted his teeth in pain and when he channelled a bit of chakra to free himself he suddenly felt very cold and could see a pair of shadowed Rinnegan eyes in his vision.

'_What is he doing to me?'_ Kakashi thought as he struggled but felt more of his strength leaving him with every passing second. Deva suddenly pulled the blade out and stepped back quickly, _'now what?' _Kakashi slumped to the ground and looked up only for his eyes to widen as he saw that Pein's open palmed arm was extended towards him, _'oh no._

"Shinra Tensei".

Pain flooded the copy-nin's body as he felt every bone he had crack under the pressure of the attack he was hit with. The ground and the wall he was lying against crumbled under the force of the attack and after a moment of silence Pein took a moment to look over his handiwork.

"Chidori Eisō," Pein heard the whisper at the last second and dodged to the side just as a long thin blade of lightning came down on where he stood a moment ago.

Deva turned slowly looking bored at the newcomer, "who are you".

"Uchiha Sasuke," the newcomer answered simply as he activated his Sharingan.

Pein raised an eyebrow slightly, "oh and what might the brother of Uchiha Itachi be doing in Konoha?"

Sasuke's eyes flashed at Itachi's name as he glared at the Akatsuki agent, "I do not have to explain myself to you".

Deva smirked in amusement, "you wish to fight me…then come. I wonder how you will compare to your brother; I did defeat him once a very long time ago when he had first joined Akatsuki".

"Hn," Sasuke grunted as his eyes seemed to morph slightly. "Mangekyo Sharingan," he whispered as his eyes changed.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan huh…clearly Itachi left you something after all," Pein stated upon seeing the dangerous red eyes.

"Tsukuyomi," Sasuke whispered as the two locked eyes. "I have you now," he whispered as he unsheathed the Kusenagi Sword.

He slowly stepped forward seeing that Deva wasn't moving but stopped when he saw that even after the time had expired that he still hadn't moved. Deva didn't even looked fatigued; it was almost like he hadn't been hit by it at all. Sasuke narrowed his eyes for a moment before they widened in realisation. Asura appeared from behind him and he jumped to the side narrowly dodging the long razor like tail that came at him.

Sasuke stopped a few feet away and asked in thought, _'I know I caught him in Tsukuyomi so why didn't it crush him mentally?'_

"You appear confused," the main Pein stated observing the seemingly emotionless face of Sasuke. "Your ocular Genjutsu will not work on me Uchiha; I am God. I am everywhere; not just in your _sight_," Deva said with his eyes seeming to bare down upon him.

Sasuke glanced between the two Peins and thought, _'he's not one man. That's why Tsukuyomi was ineffective; because he is six different people'. _Just then Asura held out his second right arm at Sasuke and it suddenly opened like it was some kind of machine on the inside, _'now what?' _A large number of missiles launched from his arm and homed in on Sasuke's position,_ 'hn'._ The Uchiha watched as they drew near and suddenly threw a volley of Senbon needles at the oncoming projectiles piercing them in their noses, "Chidori Senbon". The missiles seemed to spark for a second before they all crashed harmlessly all around Sasuke's position, "you will have to do better than that if you wish to defeat a member of the Uchiha Clan".

Deva stared at him seemingly bored, "I will admit that you have potential but compared to Itachi you aren't even close to his level". Sasuke's face shifted into a glare as he continued, "I wonder how he could have lost to you when the gap in your skills is so great".

_Flashback no Jutsu Begin_

"_As the last Uchiha I can return to Konoha whenever I want and when I return I will be granted amnesty for my actions because I have killed both Orochimaru and Itachi." Sasuke answered looking bored but the look in his eyes made him look smug. Naruto remained silent and let him go before taking a step back and grinning down at him knowing the perfect way to take him down a peg or two._

"_And yet you couldn't kill Itachi could you?" Naruto asked seeing Sasuke lose his smirk._

"_I did kill Itachi; I watched as he died," Sasuke narrowed his eyes._

"_But you didn't kill him did you? He dropped dead before you could avenge your loving family," Naruto watched as Sasuke tried to leap out of the chair but the restraints kept him pinned._

"_Don't you dare insult my family dobe; I know I killed Itachi because he was exhausted be-" the Uchiha snarled at him._

"_Actually Itachi died because his illness finally caught up with him," that stopped Sasuke's rant in its tracks._

"_What illness?" Sasuke asked narrowing his eyes further._

"_Apparently Itachi had been suffering from some kind of illness for the past eight years and it finally caught up with him during his fight with you." Naruto answered._

_Flashback no Jutsu End_

"Shut up," Sasuke spat out in a snarl.

Deva smirked at seeing this reaction and asked, "Oh and why may I ask should I do that? Is it perhaps that you didn't _kill_ Itachi? We recovered his body and I must say I was very surprised to see that he was gravely ill".

"Shut up!" Sasuke shouted as his Mangekyo Sharingan began to spin wildly. "Amaterasu," he whispered as he unleashed a massive blast of black flames at the Deva Path which blanketed the entire area around them.

"Shinra Tensei".

The black flames were suddenly and violently snuffed out by the force of gravity. Deva stood seemingly unharmed and staring towards him with a neutral expression on his face.

'_What kind of jutsu was that? It cancelled out Amaterasu like it was nothing; why couldn't I copy that jutsu? Is it a part of the Rinnegan?'_ Sasuke's face remained emotionless but inside he couldn't help but feel angered at seeing Pein standing there acting like he was nothing.

"Give up; you are no match for Pein. You are no match for God," Deva spoke with his voice echoing across the street.

This only seemed to anger the Uchiha more who then started making numerous hand-seals, _'I don't have much chakra left but…I won't let him humiliate me or my clan like this'._ He took a deep breath and brought his hand up to his mouth in the shape of and 'O', "Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu!"

Pein raised an eyebrow at seeing his opponent breath out two large dragon heads of fire towards the sky, _'why is he launching them up at the sky? I am over here so why would he do something like this?'_

A smirk graced Sasuke's face as he narrowed his eyes at the Deva Path, "what I just did was use a jutsu specifically designed to create a lightning storm by heating up the atmosphere itself. When this happens the natural lightning in the area becomes concentrated and when used as a Raiton jutsu it becomes unavoidable and deadly".

'_This is an S-Ranked jutsu from Kumo…Hanzo used it on me if I remember correctly during our battle but he never told me where he learned it from. It's only taught to a select few so how does this child know it?'_ Pein asked in thought as he saw Sasuke channelling lightning chakra into his hand.

"Raiton: Kirin!"

"Shinra Tensei".

Suddenly a large dog like monster made of lightning shot down from the sky and crashed down on where the two Peins were standing with a loud roar. But just as suddenly as it appeared it disappeared in as if it were blown away by some unknown force. Both Peins stood in the center of the newly formed crater seemingly unharmed, no not unharmed; they weren't even scratched.

"Now do you see how useless it is to stand against us?" Deva asked and jumped high into the air above the village.

'_Now what's he doing?'_ Sasuke asked in thought until he saw Asura's head appear to split open revealing some kind of cannon on in scalp. It started to glow a bright green and Sasuke's eyes widened as he dropped down to the ground, "Susanoo"_._

Buildings were knocked down by the force of the large multi-directional green flames Asura unleashed in every direction. The force of the blast was heard across the entire village and after a moment silence reined across the battlefield. From the smoke Sasuke stood encased in a large spirit which resembled a yamabushi. In its hand were a massive shield and sword which Pein identified immediately.

'_Those are the __Totsuka no Tsurugi and the Yata no Kagami…the weapons of the __Rikudō Sennin,'_ Pein narrowed his eyes upon seeing them.

Sasuke smirked as he held out his hand and the spirit brought its sword up. The sword suddenly swung down on where Deva was standing and seemed to slash a long line of destruction for several square blocks. Deva emerged from the smoke and held out both of his hand towards where Sasuke stood.

"Futon: Reppusho," Deva whispered as two blazing white arrows of wind shot out from his fists. They splashed harmlessly across form of the spirit, _'impressive but his reaction time is too slow. When I faced Itachi he counterattacked almost immediately and never gave me an opening to attack'._

"Behold the might of the Uchiha Clan," Sasuke said with a smirk seeing that Pein's attack had little effect.

"Arrogant little child; let me show you the might of god," Deva said as he brought up his arm towards Sasuke. "Shinra Tensei," he whispered as a sudden blast of gravity hit the Uchiha inside the spirit barrier.

'_How did he-' _Sasuke tried to think as the yamabushi seemed to dissolve and after a moment he coughed up some blood onto the uplifted ground.

He stood back up but was unprepared for the quick moving Asura who appeared in front of him and slammed him into the ground face first. He tried to struggle but he couldn't move once Deva had stabbed his chakra disruption blades into numerous sections of the Uchiha's body.

"I expected more from an Uchiha…this is very disappointing," Pein told him as the last of Sasuke's chakra was drained from his body. Just then he found himself unable to move either of his bodies and when his eyes looked down he noticed his shadow was laced in chakra, _'it appears more company has arrived'._

"Kagemane no Jutsu success," Shikamaru said from behind the two Peins.

Just then nine figures appeared in beside them in a collection of blurs; these new arrivals were Gai, Lee, Neji, Tenten, Ino, Chouji, Kiba, Hinata and Shino. Almost immediately Neji and Lee destroyed the chakra disruption blades littering Sasuke's form and carried him away from the two Peins before setting him down against one of the destroyed walls. Tenten, Ino and Chouji went over to check Kakashi, Asuma and Ebisu respectively.

"How are they doing?!" Shikamaru asked in a shout over his shoulder while not keeping his eyes off of the Akatsuki member(s).

"Kakashi-sensei is still alive though barely, so is Asuma-sensei but Ebisu-Sensei is…" he heard Ino trail off at the end.

"You're going to pay for this," the Nara said to Pein.

"Why should I? I am merely working towards bringing this world true peace," Deva asked seemingly not caring that he was currently trapped.

"Peace? Peace?!" Kiba asked clearly furious. He waved his hand out to the sides at the devastation all around them, "take a look around. How can you call this peace?!"

"You cannot understand," Deva said which only angered him more.

"Enough of this; guys kill him now," Shikamaru said as an order.

"I don't think so," Deva said as Asura's head split open again revealing it's fully charged green cannon. "The one left standing shall be justice and peace," it fired.

They never stood a chance…

**Author's Notes:**

And there's a cliff-hanger for you all; well do you like it? Anyway one of you has reviewed saying you couldn't see Naruto coming to save them so I have to ask…do you not know Naruto at all? He loves Konoha; more so than anyone else. Just because he's exiled from Konoha in this fic don't think for a second that he wouldn't lay down his life for its people. To do anything less would be going against everything his father stood for and that wouldn't be in Naruto's character at all.

Anyway as for the fight scenes…I have to admit I've always want to see a fight between the Sharingan and the Rinnegan. I mean sure you've got Kakashi fighting Pein in the manga but…it just doesn't compare to the real thing. And for the record yes Ebisu is dead and he won't be the last either before this fanfic arc is done.

Oh and before anyone complains about the sword and shield of that yamabushi being weapons used by Sage of Six Realms I will tell you right now to go to the Naruto wiki and look him up. In the trivia section it says that the necklace he wears (which apparently looks like the Yasakani Jewel), the Kusenagi Sword and the Yata Mirror are all referenced Japanese Imperial Regalia with the Yasakani Jewel is the only one of these treasures yet to make an official appearance in the series.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Rai Bunshin no Jutsu = Lightning Clone Technique  
Raikiri = Lightning Blade  
Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Summoning Technique  
Ōkashō = Cherry Blossom Impact  
Shinra Tensei = Devine Judgment  
Bansho Tenin = All Creation Attraction  
Futon: Hein = Wind Release: Flying Swallow  
Kaiwan no Hiya = Flaming Arrow of Amazing Ability  
Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique  
Katon: Haisekishō =Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique  
Chidori Eisō = Thousand Birds Sharp Spear  
Katon: Endan = Fire Release: Flame Bullet  
Susanoo = He with the ability to help by all means  
Amaterasu = Illuminating Heaven  
Tsukuyomi = Moon Reader  
Chidori Senbon = Thousand Birds Senbon  
Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique  
Raiton: Kirin = Lightning Release: Qilin  
Totsuka no Tsurugi = Ten Hands Long Sword  
Yata no Kagami = Eight Span Mirror  
Rikudō = Six Paths  
Futon: Reppusho = Wind Release: Violent Wind Palm

See Ya Later


	15. Eternal Pain Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter15: Eternal Pain Part 2

**Fire Country: Konoha**

Konohamaru heard (more like felt) the echoing explosion as he arrived at the village square where the battle was taking place. Bodies of the numerous Konoha Shinobi littered the streets and their blood seemed to be scattered across what was left of the nearby buildings. It seemed that nearly everyone was evacuated but he didn't want to; he couldn't cower away in the dirt when his village was under attack by some unknown enemy.

As he took a peak around the corner of a destroyed wall he caught a glimpse of Shinobi who was attacking Konoha. He wore a long black cloak covered in red clouds; it covered most of his body from view but he did see the Shinobi's face. The Sarutobi's eyes dotted from place to place as he caught sight of numerous people he knew as he infamous Konoha 11…or was it Konoha 10 now? He couldn't remember…it looked all of them were conscious too though they all appeared exhausted and a few looked to have been injured.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Konohamaru whispered as three clones appeared silently at his side.

"Any last words?" Pein asked as he picked Kiba up by the neck.

"Go to hell," the Inuzuka growled out as he struggled.

Deva didn't reply as he made to stab him through the heart only to stop within mere centimetres as Konohamaru jumped out of cover towards them. However Asura suddenly appeared and grabbed the boy with his many arms. Deva paid the Sarutobi no heed as he turned his attention back to the one he was about to kill.

'_That's the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage…what's he doing here? He's only a Genin!'_ Neji thought as he tried to stand with the help of a building's support beam.

'_I have to save him; just like you would do Gai-Sensei,'_ Lee thought as he stood and looked over at his teacher and surrogate father's now lifeless form. He turned away to concentrate on the job at hand and not be overwhelmed by tears, _'I won't fail Gai-sensei'._

Just then however something very strange happened…

Two figures burst from the ground directly beside Asura...it was Konohamaru and a shadow clone. The Konohamaru in Asura Path's hand suddenly disappeared in a poof of smoke indicating it was a clone as well which surprised everyone nearby including Pein. The shadow clone started channelling chakra into the original's hand and before Asura knew it a ball of constantly spinning chakra was suddenly buried into his chest.

"Rasengan!" Konohamaru called out as Asura was blown back and crashed hard threw a half-destroyed wall.

'_Wow; when did he learn that?'_ Kakashi thought as he tried to sit up against the destroyed wall.

'_That jutsu…'_ Sasuke thought in anger and slight revulsion.

'_This child is not a Genin,'_ Deva thought as tossed Kiba away with one arm and turned his attention to the young Sarutobi. "I am Pein; the leader of the Akatsuki…who are you?" he asked.

"I'm a Genin of the Sarutobi clan named after this village! I am Sarutobi Konohamaru! And don't you forget it!" Konohamaru declared as he quickly made several hand-seals. "Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" he exhaled a large ball of fire at the Deva Path.

"Shinra Tensei," Pein said as he sent a blast of gravity to obliterate the fireball with nothing more than a wave of his hand.

The result however sent dust across the area between then which Konohamaru used wisely, _'Kawarimi no Jutsu'._ The Sarutobi disappeared in a poof of smoke following the jutsu, _'please let this work'._

"You should know the Rinnegan allows me to track your jutsu Sarutobi Konohamaru; you cannot hide from me," Pein stated as he turned to the building Konohamaru had moved too and was clearly hiding in. He raised his hand towards the building and whispered, "Bansho Tenin".

The whole building seemed to implode by some unseen force leaving nothing but rubble in its wake. From the rubble Konohamaru shakily stood and sent a glare at the Deva Path.

"Bansho Tenin," Pein said as the boy suddenly found himself being pulled towards the Deva Path. Before he could react Pein grabbed him by the neck held him up high, "do you now see how hopeless it is to oppose us?"

"Kiss my ass," 'Konohamaru' said just before he poofed out of existence.

Pein stepped back in surprise, _'that was a clone?'_

He looked up quickly having sensed chakra being used and caught sight of a large ball of fire descending on his location, "Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!"

"Shinra Tensei!" Pein called out as he destroyed the descending then however the real Konohamaru dropped down in front of him with another spinning chakra ball in hand, _'there's not enough time to recharge'._

"Rasengan!" the Genin called out as he slammed the jutsu into Pein's chest. The Deva Path was blown back with great force before crashing hard into the rubble of an already destroyed building, "I knew it". This statement surprises the gathered Konoha Shinobi in the area and Pein himself, "the jutsu your using to negate my attacks needs time to recharge between uses…I'd say it's about five seconds per gap".

'_Did he just…figure out how to get passed Pein's jutsu?'_ Kakashi thought in shock. Just then the Deva Path emerged from the rubble seemingly unfazed by the attack but it was clear he had suffered some damage, _'he shouldn't be standing after a hit like that'._

"How are you…" the Genin trailed off at seeing his opponent seemingly unharmed.

"Impressive but I am God; people like you are very rare individuals. You are one of only a few people to have actually been able to land a blow on the Deva Path," Pein stated as he walked out of the rubble without any difficulty. "Had your jutsu been using more power it would have surely destroyed this body but sadly that feet is beyond you for the moment," he said as he raised his hand in preparation for an attack. However before he can do anything a pink blur appears beside Konohamaru, _'reinforcements?'_

"Sakura-nechan?" Konohamaru asked as he saw who it was.

"All of the critically injured at the hospital have been healed so I left the doctors to treat the rest of the patients while I came to help," Sakura explained as she looked over at Pein. _'Though against someone like him I'm not sure what I can do,' _she thought as she saw him.

'_I shouldn't play around anymore than I already have,'_ Pein thought as he turned away from the two and looked off towards the Hokage Tower. He leaped away before anyone could stop him, _'I wonder if she will recognise me…'_

"Where's he going?" Konohamaru asked seeing their opponent flee.

"I-I don't know," Sakura admitted and turned her attention to the large number of wounded Konohamaru ninja in the area.

* * *

"Long time no see, Tsunade…" the voice caught the attention of the Hokage and the four Anbu on the roof of the Hokage Tower. They turned swiftly and saw that it was indeed the man they feared: Pein, "…you're the only one left of the legendary Sannin".

"You're…that kid" Tsunade whispered as she recognised the face of the Amegakure war orphan.

"I've wanted to talk to you for quite some time now," the Deva Path stated as he stared the five down.

"Why are you here?" the Hokage asked as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I am here to draw out the Kyuubi and the Nibi of course," Pein answered with an almost mocking tone.

This of course angered the assembled Anbu, "you mean you're using us to get to him?!" snarled one of the Anbu.

"I have captured almost all of the Jinchuuriki…only three remain," Pein stated lowering his head slightly. "The Shinobi Villages have lost the power that the Biju bring them; your peace results in violence towards," he continued.

"I won't say that everything Konoha has done has been right but…I won't accept your way of doing things either," Tsunade said bordering on shouting.

"Watch what you say; this is your only warning from God," Pein said with a slight glare.

"…You'll never get what you want the most," Tsunade spoke simply.

The Deva Path simply stared at her for a few moments before asking, "And why is that?"

Tsunade let a smile cross her face as she spoke, "Naruto is strong…he'll beat you".

Pein's face remained impassive, "don't make me laugh". He turned a moment later, "I want you to feel pain, understand pain, to think about pain, to accept pain, to know pain". He jumped high into the air using his gravity manipulation to give him a large boost, "those who don't know pain can never know true peace".

Tsunade watched as he jumped as realisation swept over her, _'does he still have something up his sleeve?!'_

High above the ground Pein hovered looking down on the village while charging a large amount of chakra into his hands and eyes.

"I will give the world more pain," the Deva Path said as his eyes bore down on the village…almost like a god.

"Pein!" Tsunade shouted as she rushed to stop him.

It was too late…

"Shinra Tensei!"

And so Konohagakure no Sato; the village hidden in the leaves was no more…

**Wave Country: Tazuna's House**

"Did you hear that?" Naruto asked as he turned his head to look out of the window.

Yugito looked up at that confused, "hear what?"

"I could have sworn that I just heard Tsunade-Obachan," the Kitsune-Sennin answered as he looked around.

"…I think your hearing things Naruto," Yugito shook her head.

"…Maybe," Naruto said shaking it off but couldn't help but feel something was wrong.

Sometimes he hates it when he's right…

Fukasaku jumped in through the window surprising everyone in the room; he was panting hard though from old age or constant running nobody knew.

"Old man toad?" Naruto half-asked.

"Naruto...pant…Konoha… pant…Pein… pant…attack…" Fukasaku said in between pants.

Naruto shot up out of his seat, "what?!"

The toad caught his breath and said clearly, "Pein is attacking Konoha right now".

"If that's true then it's a lure," Yugito spoke up having caught on.

A hundred thoughts were going through Naruto's mind as tried to process this information. Why would Pein do it? What could he have to gain from doing this? Revenge? No…he wanted him. Pein wanted him; this was a way to draw him out so as to capture him. Pein was…using Konoha to get to him?

"It's a trap," spoke the old toad.

"What do we do?" asked the Neko-Sennin understanding the situation.

"…Spring the trap," Naruto answered simply.

"Ma's already in the area; she can reverse summon us at any time," Fukasaku stated.

"Alright summon me now," Naruto told him.

"Hey! I'm going with you," Yugito said as a statement more than a demand.

Naruto looked at her for a few seconds before nodding knowing there was no way he could leave her behind, "…alright. Grab on and hold on tight; I don't want you falling off".

She grabbed onto him and a moment later the two Sennin and the old toad disappeared in three poofs of smoke.

After a moment of silence descended on the kitchen room Tsunami spoke up, "they never finished their meals".

That's a story for another time…

**Fire Country: Konoha Crater**

The once great hidden village of the leaves was no more; what was left was barely worthy of being called a crater. The only things that had survived the village's destruct were the outer walls of the village and the Hokage Monument itself along with the buildings above it. Everything else had been levelled; debris littered the outer layer of the crater and standing in its center were two people dressed in Akatsuki cloaks…well technically seven people if one were to count the additional five bodies that made up the Six Paths of Pain.

Shikamaru groaned as his team-mates pulled him out from the rubble; he sat back against the upturned stone and tried to fight down the pain in his tight leg. Great; his leg was broken; just great and when things couldn't get any worse.

"Are you okay Shikamaru?" Chouji asked as Ino started to work on his leg.

"I guess so…my leg is broken though," the Nara answered holding his side. He sat up more, "what happened?"

"W-what…?" they looked up at seeing Tsunade looking down into the crater in horror and disbelief. This however quickly turned to anger, "damn it. I'll never forgive you for this; I'll never forgive you Pein".

"The seal on her head…she must have used all of her chakra to protect everyone from Pein's jutsu," Sakura said upon seeing Tsunade's blank forehead.

She suddenly jumped down into the crater surprising everyone that saw and watched as she made her way across the large expanse to a place a few feet away from Pein. She stood there glaring at him with all her anger visible though she appeared to be panting slightly; probably from over using her jutsu.

"I am the Godaime Hokage and I will not allow you to trample on the treasures and the dreams of those who came before me! As Hokage I will put a stop to you here and now!" Tsunade shouted; her voice echoing throughout the destroyed village as everyone looked on.

"She's almost out of chakra…what can she do?" Chouji asked as they looked on.

"I-I don't know," Sakura admitted.

"It looks like you understand a little of pain now however…" Deva raised his hand.

"I have no use for you," Pein stated as the repaired Asura shot forward faster than Tsunade could react.

"No Hokage-sama!" the Anbu along with most of the Shinobi of the village called out to her seeing the danger.

"The one I want…" Pein began just as the Asura Path was about to cut down Tsunade.

"Is me right?!" a red and yellow figure seemed to drop from the sky and tore right through the Asura Path like it was made of butter. "Rasengan," the figure said as Asura crumbled under the assault.

Everyone looking on couldn't help but feel shocked at who now stood in front of the Hokage; decked out in a new red Fox Sage trench coat was one Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto. His coat waving in the wind as his eyes appeared as vertical slits signifying his ascension into his sage mode. The toad elders: Fukasaku and Shima were riding on his shoulders though they appeared to be handing on for fear of falling off.

"Jiraiya…Minato-kun?" Tsunade asked with wide eyes as she saw two distinct images overlap the teen's own.

Naruto turned his head slightly, "actually its Naruto; Obachan".

Up in the rubble everyone stood wide-eyed at seeing the Kitsune-Sennin.

"N-Naruto?" Sakura asked with wide-eyes.

"That's definitely him," Neji stated equally as shocked. "He-he just took out one of Pein's bodies with one hit," the Hyuga male said.

"Nisan did…" Konohamaru whispered in disbelief.

"The Hokage shouldn't have to dirty their hands with scum like this; take a break Obachan. This is my show now," Naruto said over his shoulder however he never took his eyes off of Pein and his partner.

"Namikaze Naruto," Deva spoke as his eyes bore into the blond teen.

"Let's settle this once and for all!" Naruto shouted.

"Pein above us!" Konan shouted as she was looking up.

"Hi no Ya!" a volley of flame covered arrows fell from the sky striking the place where the Akatsuki members had jumped away from a moment ago. Yugito touched down beside Naruto with her bow outstretched and more arrows already loaded, "dammit I missed".

Just then two large (bordering on enormous) beast landed in the crater; it was easy for everyone to recognise them. It was the Kyuubi and the Nibi; they stood quite a bit behind Tsunade as they both let out a loud roar which echoed through the destroyed village. Everyone from Konoha looked on fearfully having not seen the demon that had nearly destroyed their home for over sixteen years now.

Yugito grinned as she cracked her knuckles, "this'll be fun".

Naruto nodded as Tsukino and Rei dropped down beside the two Sennin, "you can take the girl; but that bastard is mine".

**Author's Notes:**

Evil-cliff-hanger no Jutsu!

For the record I am well aware that I'm following most of the manga but this fight needs to happen in Konoha or else my story just won't work for what I have planned. I promise you that once Pein's arc is done I will move completely out of canon. I just wanted to say that before anyone complains.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique  
Rasengan = Spiraling Sphere  
Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique  
Kawarimi no Jutsu = Body Replacement Technique  
Shinra Tensei =Devine Judgment  
Bansho Tenin = All Creation Attraction  
Kitsune = Fox  
Sennin = Sage  
Hi no Ya = Arrow of Fire

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later…


	16. Heroes and Villains

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter16: Heroes and Villains

**Fire Country: Konoha Crater**

"Take Katsuyu; she might be able to help you," Tsunade told him as she held out a small slug. Naruto nodded as the two toad elders help slug into his inner pocket, "don't lose her".

Naruto nodded again, "right".

"Rei-Chan," Yugito spoke up getting the cat's attention. "Get Tsunade-sama out of here; she's in the way," the cat nodded and packed the last of the Sannin up.

"…Good luck," was all the blonde Hokage said to them as she was placed on the cat's back and held in place by its tail which had wrapped around her.

Rei took off a moment later heading towards the out edge of the crater where the rest of Konoha watched on.

"Let's go wild," Naruto's voice echoed through the crater of Konoha.

There was a booming sound as Yugito shot forward indicating she had crossed the sound barrier. A stream of jet blue flames were erupting from her feet propelling her towards where the two (seven) Akatsuki members stood. Her target was Konan.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," Animal whispered as she placed her hand on the ground in front of the Akatsuki members.

In a poof of smoke a large rhino appeared charging towards Naruto; it paid no heed to Yugito as the two passed each other with its only target being Naruto.

"Konan," Pein said as he saw the Neko-Sennin approach.

The blue-haired beauty nodded and jumped as she sprouted paper wings from her back.

"Hi no Ya," Yugito called out as she let loose a flame covered arrow at the female Akatsuki agent. She evaded but was unprepared for the follow-up attack at close-range, "Kaizuki".

While the two females were going at it Naruto and Pein stood staring each other down across the battlefield. The rhino was still bulldozing towards Naruto but he never took his eyes off of the Deva Path. She when the rhino was about to hit the blond teen Tsukino slammed into the side of the massive beast and knocked it away. A large amount of chakra began to gather at the fox's mouth as she jumped high into the air.

"Gobiko Imari," the fox declared as the ball suddenly exploded downwards and hit the unsuspecting rhino.

It struck the creature in its back and exploded downwards in a brilliant destructive of light. Needless to say the rhino was completely destroyed and the place where it stood no longer existed now being just a hole in the ground going straight down. The hole was about ten meters wide but the drop was just three miles if anyone were to try and climb down into it.

Deva Path watched what had happened to his rhino through narrowed eyes and a split second later Animal slammed both of her hands down on the ground, "Tsuin Kuchiyose no Jutsu".

Two poofs of smoke soon followed accompanied by two large creatures charging out of it towards the Kitsune-Sennin. One was a dog while the other was a ram; each of them was the same height as the rhino and they were both barrelling at him. Fukasaku and Shima then jumped off from Naruto's shoulder's in unison kept their eyes on the summons.

"Senpō: Kawazu Naki," they said as their voices echoed through the air piercing the ear drums of both summons.

Naruto shot forward between the two now dazed creatures and charged towards where Pein stood. Just then Kyuubi and Nibi shot forward also intent on destroying the two summoned creatures. They wrapped their tails around the disoriented two and flung them high into the air all the while charging their respective attacks at their mouths.

"**Kyuubiko Imari!" **Kyuubi roared as the chakra sphere at its mouth exploded at the dog creature.

"**Nekomata Goukakyu!" **Nibi exclaimed as the ball of pure fire accelerated upwards at the giant ram.

The two summons were instantly vaporised in the skies above Konoha…

Naruto slapped the whirlpool symbol on the back of his wrist and instantly his mother's sword, his sword flashed into existence. He grasped its handle as he drew near Pein; Deva hadn't taken his eyes off of him during the entire confrontation between their summons and so easily dispatched his Preta Path to intercept him.

As Naruto and Preta drew nearer to each other time seemed to slow between them until 'Naruto' disappeared in a poof of smoke surprising Pein who hadn't taken his eyes off of Naruto's form since the fight began.

'_When did he-'_ Pein thought as Naruto suddenly dropped down from the sky behind him; sword in hand.

"Gotcha!" shouted the Kitsune-Sennin as he swung his sword from the side. Preta didn't have any time to react as his head was severed from his body in one clean swing, _'it's a good thing I took this one out early; Pa did say it could absorb any Ninjutsu'_. Naruto twirled the sword in his hand for a second before turning and pointing it at Deva and the remaining three paths, "that's two".

* * *

"He just took out another one and it didn't even look like he was trying!" Kiba exclaimed at seeing the battle in progress.

Neji nodded, "I noticed it before. The Naruto that saved Tsunade and charged at Pein was just a clone. The real one was standing on some kind of spinning chakra plate above us waiting for his moment to strike," the Hyuga explained.

"What's with the sword? It's beautiful," Tenten commented even though she could barely see it from this distance.

"That's the Sword of the Whirlpool," Tsunade told them having been brought to the group by Rei who had remained with them. "It was his mother's sword back when she was younger…I haven't seen it in a long time. I assumed it was lost when she died but clearly Naruto was able to find it," she continued.

* * *

However the Naruto resealed the Whirlpool Sword after slapping the back of his hand again and suddenly began making hand-seals…a lot of hand-seals.

'_Now what's he doing?'_ Pein asked in thought as he felt the wind suddenly start to pick up around him (them).

"I'm going to kill every last one of you Pein!" Naruto shouted as he brought his hands to his side and suddenly a ball of wind began to form in each of his palms. He brought both balls together and shouted, "Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu!"

The moment the two balls touched a large tornado seemed to shoot out from his arms and accelerate towards where Pein's bodies stood.

'_What is that?'_ Pein thought as he scrambled his bodies to get out of the way.

The tornado struck where they had just been standing and everything else within its twenty wide meter range including the Animal Path. She was ripped apart from the constant friction and left as nothing more than a broken corpse on the battlefield.

'_That's a very dangerous jutsu,' _Pein thought as he examined the now all but destroyed body of the Animal Path.

"That's three," Naruto told him.

* * *

"He's taking them out one after the other," Kiba commented whistling at the power of the jutsu his former comrade had used.

"That jutsu just now…that was easily an S-Ranked jutsu but I've never seen or even heard of a jutsu like that before," Kakashi said unsure. "What's worse is the amount of chakra need to pull it off; I was able to copy it with my Sharingan but I would never be able to use it. The strain would kill me," the copy-nin explained.

No one noticed the almost none existent scowl on Sasuke's face, _'this isn't fair. How can he know such a jutsu? Who taught him it and how could he be able to do it without suffering any kind of loss while _I_ would not be able to physically use it without self harm? It must be the Kyuubi's doing; of course it would give the dobe anything he wanted. He always gets everything handed to him'._ (**Note: **I want everyone to remember this sentence/thought every time you read the manga).

* * *

'_He's running low on chakra…he must have used up half of his reserves on that jutsu just now,'_ Pein realised as he sent the Human Path to strike at the Kitsune-Sennin.

'_Dammit Sage Mode is almost out of juice,'_ Naruto growled in thought as he tried to jump away from the approaching Human Path. Thinking fast he created two spinning chakra spheres in his hands and slammed them into the ground, "Rasenrengan!"

Dust shot up blanketing the entire area in a cloud of smoke making Pein realise what had happened, _'he's created a smokescreen'. _After a moment however the dust cleared but Naruto was nowhere in sight, _'where did he go?' _A flash of light from above caught his attention and he looked up but was too late to stop Naruto's attack on the Human Path, _'not enough time!'_

"Futon: Rasenshuriken!" Naruto exclaimed as threw the spinning shuriken of wind and power down on the Human Path's position.

It struck Human and immediately expanded engulfing everything within its range as Naruto and Pein propelled themselves away from it to avoid the jutsu's ability to suck everything in range in to it. Human was ripped apart from the constant barrage of attacks done by the jutsu until there was nothing left of him; he had been completely vaporised leaving nothing behind as the juts finally exploded in great blast of wind.

"That's four," Naruto said while trying to steady his heavy breathing from doing so many high-level attacks one after the other.

"Impressive; as expected of a fellow student of Jiraiya-sensei," Pein commented as the dust from the attack settled.

"Jiraiya…sensei?" Naruto asked unsure what he meant by that.

"Jiraiya-sensei was my teacher the same as he was yours; this makes me your fellow pupil…we should be able to understand each other. Our sensei wanted peace," Pein stated knowingly.

"That's bullshit! Its true he wanted peace but take a look around!" Naruto yelled as waved his arms all around at the crater that was Konoha. "How can you call this peace!" he shouted in rage. "Why in the hell are you doing this anyway?!"

"…My answer won't change anything," Pein said simply.

"Well I want you hear it; why are you trying so desperately to get your hands on the Biju? Why!" Naruto asked the very same question that had always plagued him.

"My goal…is something not even sensei was able to achieve; I intend to bring peace through justice," Pein answered.

Naruto just stared on angered by the Akatsuki leader's answer, "how can you say that after everything you've done?! Ero-Sennin, Konoha and all of the Jinchuuriki! You say that everything you've done to them was **justified**!" By now Naruto's eyes were beginning to flash red, "what the hell is wrong with you!"

"…Then what do you want?" Pein asked.

"I want to kill you! That's what I want!" Naruto answered almost immediately.

'_Naruto…'_ Yugito thought as she looked on from the skies above.

Deva let a small smile slip onto his face at the answer, "I see…that's wonderful; that is your justice but let me ask you something…do you think only a select few are to speak about peace and justice?"

Naruto calmed himself and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Konoha, Suna, Kumo, Iwa, Kiri…they've all grown too big. They are all set in their ways; they care about nothing but themselves and their own peace and justice." Pein stated and saw Naruto had narrowed his eyes again, "they go to war constantly. They're peace is a result of their violence against the other, _smaller_ villages. In each of the Shinobi Wars my home has been destroyed; in the last war my family were killed and soon after a very dear friend of mine was killed because of Konoha. The major villages always drag the smaller ones into their conflicts never thinking about the lives of their allies; they think they are nothing more than figures on paper".

"…" Naruto remained silent as he thought the conversation he had with his sensei long ago.

_Flashback no Jutsu Begin_

"_Even I can tell hatred is spreading," Jiraiya said sitting in a lotus position._

"…_Hatred?" Naruto asked confused._

_The Gama-Sennin scratched the back of his head, "I want to do something about it…but I don't know what…but I believe that the day will come when people truly understand each other"._

_Naruto smiled trying not to feel overwhelmed, "that sounds hard"._

_Jiraiya shrugged, "if I can't find the answer, it will be up to you to do it"._

_Naruto gave him his best salute, "okay; if that's what you want I can't refuse"._

_Flashback no Jutsu End_

"You and I are the same; we are both working towards the peace Jiraiya spoke of. The justice I have meted out against Konoha is exactly the same as the justice you are trying to mete out against me Namikaze Naruto," Pein told him. "You know the pain of loss and you are working for your justice just the same as I do for mine," spoke the Akatsuki leader having kept his eyes on the blond throughout their conversation. "People are driven to revenge in the name of justice and so it becomes a chain of hatred…if you read a bit of history you will know that whatever the future brings people will never understand each other. The Shinobi world is ruled by hatred; how can you possibly bring peace when the world is consumed by hatred?"

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment as he thought on his answer, "…I don't have an answer…not yet; but I will. That's a promise".

"You are foolish…I created 'Akatsuki' in order to gather the Biju and turn them into the most powerful weapon in existence," Pein stated surprising Naruto and everyone who was listening. "This weapon will allow me to break the chain of hatred; this weapon will be far more powerful than what I used to destroy Konoha. It will be able to destroy an entire nation in an instant; when it is used the world will know true pain and the fear caused by the weapon will bring stability to the world".

"That's not peace! That's nothing but using fear to control people!" Naruto shouted in rage at such an idea.

"And yet it will stop people from fighting; it will break the chain of hatred for a time. Then once the pain is healed people will begin fighting again; this time however they will use the weapon themselves and so it will continue for the rest of time. That is my wish…can you see peace?" Pein's eyes seemed to bare into him.

"You're clinging to one twisted sense of peace bastard," Naruto growled as he made a hand-seal. "And your really starting to piss me off; Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," two clones popped into existence beside him. A few seconds later they had already channelled the chakra needed for his jutsu, "Futon: Rasenshuriken".

Deva narrowed his eyes as he saw the chakra shuriken sail towards him through the air. Just before it hit however a completely restore Preta Path jumped down directly in-between Deva and the jutsu. It took a few seconds before Preta completely absorbed the Rasenshuriken but nevertheless it Pein's plan worked.

However he missed crucial detail…

The Naruto he had been talking to was a clone; which he realised when it poofed out of existence. The Naraka Path suddenly looked up at the sky and was unable to dodge the oncoming attack Naruto had sent at him.

"Cho Oodama Rasengan!"

_Sage Mode Deactivated_

Needless to say the Naraka Path was defeated…along with everything within three hundred foot radius. Naruto came walking out of the smoke dragging the all but destroyed body.

He threw it at Deva's feet and said with a glare, "For the record; that's five of you I've killed".

"…You say my peace is a lie yet you do not have an answer yourself," Pein said seemingly not caring that another of his bodies (and quite possibly his most valuable) had been destroyed. "You have done well to force me to go this far however it no longer matters as I have already won this fight," said the Deva Path.

"Oh and why's that?" Naruto said as he glared.

"You're out of power," Pein said simply.

It was true; his sage mode had shutdown because of the high-level jutsus he had been using continuously since the fight started. That was the weakness of the Fox Sage Mode; as soon as you ran out of power it would shutdown and you couldn't get it back until your natural chakra reserves could recharged. Chakra pills wouldn't work so that left only one way to recharge the sage mode.

He couldn't use chakra while his sage mode was recharging…

That left him open to attack…a lot. Yugito's Cat Sage Mode actually had the same weakness as well but she didn't have that many chakra draining jutsus in her arsenal so she could remain in sage mode for a lot longer than him.

Anyway back to the fight; Deva shot forward with two of his chakra disruption blades drawn and ready to gut him.

Naruto made a hand-seal then remembered,_ 'damn I forgot. I can't use any jutsu while I'm recharging.' _He groaned as he slapped his hand on the whirlpool symbol thus releasing his sword, _'alright then I'll just have to improvise'._

"That sword won't help you here," Pein said as he lunged with both of his blades at the ready.

Naruto parried the first strike and made to counterattack only to find that his opponent had side stepped and was bring his other sword to stab his shoulder. Naruto twirled his sword around and narrowly deflected the blow as it came. Deva then tried to swinging both of his swords down on him in the shape of an 'x'. Naruto brought up his sword into the center of the attack and held it back

"Your Kenjutsu is impressive; however…" Deva suddenly twisted on both of his swords and with a screeching echo of metal move against metal as Naruto's Whirlpool Sword was forced out of his hands and sent clambering to the floor not too far away. "…You still have yet to master Kenjutsu," Deva said as he made to stab Naruto in the shoulder and disable him.

Naruto's eyes widened,_ 'I'm out of time'._

However at that moment fate decided to cut him some slack…

_Sage Mode Reactivated_

'_Shunpo no Jutsu,'_ there was a flash of yellow as Naruto appeared behind Deva and delivered a monstrous head butt to Pein's face. Deva was sent flying back before being left sprawled on the ground not too far away, _'that was a close one. Too close; he almost had me there'_. Thankfully he had already thought up a new plan of attack and so made a hand-seal, "Futon: Daitoppa!"

'_Now what's he doing?'_ Pein thought as Deva stood once again with Preta at his side. Naruto's jutsu had sent a cloud of dust across the area, _'he's not using the same plan again is he?' _Hundreds of Naruto's suddenly burst from the cloud and barrelled towards them,_ 'what is he planning?'_

"Bunshin Daibakuha!" the large number of clones shouted when they were close enough.

They exploded a moment later but Preta absorbed the blasts but was unprepared for the real Naruto emerging from the ground below him while he was preoccupied by the clones with his sword in hand. Naruto sliced upwards cutting straight through Preta's entire body in one clean motion; it fell a moment later as Naruto rested his sword at his side once more.

"Pant…pant…heh…technically…that's…six," Naruto said between breaths with a grin. He stood up straight and started making hand-seals again, "and now I'll finish it". He charged the two wind balls in his hand and brought them together, "Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu!" Deva gaze was unwavering as the large tornado came crashing at him, "Pein!"

"Shinra Tensei".

Naruto held the jutsu for another five seconds before cutting off the power and let the jutsu die out. Dust and smoke had flooded the area between the two and as more of it cleared it left nothing but a large gouged out terrain. When the last of the smoke cleared the Deva Path could be seen standing in the center of the gouged out terrain.

"Behold the might of God," Pein declared as he stood seemingly unharmed.

'_What the hell is he?'_ Naruto thought as sweat began to drip down his face.

"Shinra Tensei," Pein shouted as he thrust out his hand towards him.

Naruto was suddenly blown back by a seemingly invisible force and sent crashing into the far end of the crater's wall with a monstrous impact, _'what the hell was that?'_

"Naruto!" Fukasaku shouted in worry.

"Kyuubi! Nibi! Help him!" Yugito shouted as she continued to dodge the numerous papers.

"**We know!"** Kyuubi shouted back as he made to slam his open paw down on the Akatsuki leader. Before he could crush him however Pein jumped high above the fox's head, **"stay still vermin".**

"**I've got him," **Nibi said as she tried to catch him with her tails but sadly missed.

"Let me show you the might of God," Pein said as he held out both of his arms towards both summoned bosses. "Shinra Tensei," there was a sudden crack in the ground as both Kyuubi and Nibi were blown away.

'_**How? He shouldn't have been able to affect us with that jutsu alone unless…our power is still sealed away so we can't stand against that jutsu as we are now,'**_Kyuubi growled in thought as both he and Nibi crashed hard into the outer wall of the crater with incredible force.

"Even the Kyuubi and the Nibi have fallen before the might of God," Pein declared as landed in the center of the crater again. He took note of Naruto just barely climbing to his feet at the edge of the crater and brought his hand up to where the blond stood, "Bansho Tenin".

Naruto suddenly found himself being pulled towards Pein at an alarming pace. His eyes widened when Pein brought up his left hand and formed a fist all the while gravity still pulled him towards the Deva Path. Naruto barely registered the punch that was delivered to his face even as he was sent sprawling across the ground. Pain had flooded his senses; like every bone in his body had turned to mush but he fought down the pain and stood with anger overpowering the pain.

"Bastard!" Naruto shouted in anger as he turned only too face…

"Shinra Tensei".

The ground around Naruto cracked as his body felt like it had been torn apart but still remained in one piece. Pein drew one of his chakra disruption blades and before Naruto could even realise it he was stabbed through the shoulder by Pein. The blade pierced through the front of his body and out of the back forcing him to grunt in pain. He coughed up some blood as Pein pulled the sword out and held out his hand to finish the job.

"Shinra Tensei".

Naruto let out a barely audible grunt before he fell back onto the floor with an echoing slam. Pein then threw several long spear-like chakra disruption blades into the air above them where they remained hovering.

"This is the end Kitsune-Sennin," was all Pein said.

"Naruto!" three voices rang out.

The blades struck…

And blood splattered on the unforgiving ground…

**Author's Notes:**

Okay I've went back and typed up the Shinra Tensei and Bansho Tenin translations (Thanks for the info, ConnectFire611).

Anyway a problem has arisen and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to deal with it. I'm receiving the reviews from people but they aren't going up on the review's page. I've got like sixteen (including one by myself to try and find out what was wrong) and it's just not coming up on the page.

Does anyone have an idea on how I can fix this little problem?

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique  
Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere  
Rasenrengan = Double Spiralling Sphere  
Cho Oodama Rasengan = Super Great Ball Spiralling Sphere  
Futon: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken  
Shinra Tensei = Devine Judgement  
Bansho Tenin = All Creation Attraction  
Kaizuki = Fire Blade  
Hi no Ya = Arrow of Fire  
Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Summoning Technique  
Tsuin Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Twin Summoning Technique  
Futon: Daitoppa = Wind Release: Great Breakthrough  
Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu = Wind Release: Devine Wind Technique (my creation…I think)  
Senpō: Kawazu Naki = Sage Art: Frog Call  
Gobiko Imari = Five-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball  
Kyuubiko Imari = Nine-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball  
Nekomata Goukakyu = Forked Cat Great Fireball

See Ya Later…


	17. Gods and Demons

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter17: Gods and Demons

**Fire Country: Konoha Crater**

All was silent…

_Drip…drip…drip…_

What just happened didn't register in the minds of anyone that had been watching or even Naruto himself…

Yugito was standing over him…

She was covering him…

She had protected him from Pein's attack…

She was bleeding…a lot.

"Yugito!" Naruto shouted as he fought down his own pain and grabbed her as she fell. Pein's chakra disruption blades littered her body but she didn't seem to mind, "what—what—what the hell were you thinking?"

She smiled weakly up at him, "I…" she coughed slightly. "…I couldn't let you die; not after everything you've done for me," she whispered.

"Why?" he asked as tears began to form at the edge of his eyes.

She smiled up at him, "idiot…cough…cough…are you really that dense Naruto? It's because I fell in love with you; you reckless idiot".

He didn't know what to say to that, "I…"

"They're beaten…I'm coming to you," Konan said to Pein.

The Akatsuki leader nodded, "I should be able to finish things here".

Konan nodded and dissolved into papers leaving the three alone in the crater.

"Yugito; come on stay with me," Naruto said as her eyes slowly closed.

Pein looked on and commented, "this actually reminds me of when Konoha killed my parents for simply being home…don't worry; she's not dead. I need her alive; she's one of my precious hosts after all".

"Shut up," Naruto growled as he laid her on the ground removed the chakra blades. He stood shaking slightly with his shoulder's moving up and down signifying his stressed breathing, "you'll pay for this". He turned swiftly and took a few steps away from her with his eyes now having turned red, **"I'll kill you".**

Red chakra exploded from Naruto's body and wrapped around him. Pein's eyes widened slightly having just realised that this was the first time he had seen any form of demonic power from either of the two. A column of black chakra consumed the area where Naruto stood and just as soon as it appeared it disappeared to reveal the silhouette of a four-tailed demon chakra fox.

'_It looks like his anger has triggered the fox's full powers…'_ Pein thought as he narrowed his eyes at the demon in front of him. "Do you hate me?" he asked. "Do you really think people can understand each other like this?" he continued.

The fox roared in anger…

* * *

"Oh shit," Kiba gulped when he saw the monstrous chakra fox.

"This is very bad," Sakura said remembering the last time she saw Naruto like this.

"Where's Yamato?" Kakashi asked knowing his seal tags would be ineffective right now.

"He's on a mission with Sai and Anko," Tsunade answered as she gritted her teeth. _'Why now of all times?'_

'_I must get Yugito-Chan out of harm's way!' _Tsukino thought as hefted the Neko-Sennin onto her back with her tails and took off towards where Rei and the Konoha 11 were at.

* * *

Shockwaves rippled across the crater as the four-tailed Naruto slammed his Youki-covered fist down on the ground. When the dust cleared Pein could be seen standing where he before seemingly unharmed. Suddenly Pein shot forward and drew one of his chakra disruption blades as he drew near.

'_This isn't going to be easy,' _Pein thought as Naruto flicked one of his tails at the Deva Path only for it to dodge and strike at the demon vessel's face.

Naruto was knocked back but just a second later a large mass of chakra in the shape of another body erupted from his chest and slashed at Pein. Pein saw the danger however and withdrew before he had his head cut off and jumped back several feet as Naruto recovered from the blow and returned to a human shape.

'_Close combat is suicide against someone like him,'_ Pein thought as he saw the fox. Suddenly Naruto puffed his chest out and a large mass of chakra erupted from it, _'what now?'_

The chakra took the shape of a large hand and crashed down in front of him making him take a step back. A moment later the chakra retracted, pulling Naruto across the distance between the two and brining him crashing down on where Pein stood. His Youki-covered fist hit the ground just as Pein jumped out of the way and sent a massive shockwave across the land.

'_I have to take him seriously or I'll be killed,'_ thought the Akatsuki leader as he touched back down on the now upturned ground. Pein raised his hand towards Naruto almost immediately and called out, "Shinra Tensei!"

Even with the Youki weighing him down Naruto was blown back by the attack and crashed hard into the edge of the crater's outer wall. All was silent for a moment until a cut wrenching screech filled the air. The fox roared as dozens of red and blue balls of chakra were released from his body and floated in the air.

* * *

After Tsukino had placed the unconscious Yugito down on the ground near the group of Konoha nins her eyes widened upon seeing what her summoner was about to do; she turned swiftly and shouted to the Hokage, "you need to get the people behind Pein out of there right now!"

"Why?" Tsunade asked the summoned fox.

"Naruto-kun's about to use a very powerful attack; your people will be killed even if he hit Pein with it!" Tsukino said as a barely controlled shout. "Get them out of there now!"

* * *

"**Yonbiko Imari!"** Naruto called out as he belched out the large mass of chakra at high velocity towards Pein.

The Deva Path saw it coming however and with slightly fearful eyes raised his hand to stop the attack, "Shinra Tensei!"

The chakra projectile detonated just before it hit Pein but the resulting direct blast covered Pein's location and stretched another twenty miles behind him. The blast tore through the side of the crater and created a long canyon for about fifteen miles. Konoha's wall on that side had been knocked down from the blast and all that remained was a long gorge between two sections of land.

The dust cleared and Pein could be seen again but this time he was standing on one knee breathing slightly hard. This didn't last long however as he stood once again seemingly unhurt though a bit exhausted but nothing serious.

"**You…you…why won't you just die!"** Naruto shouted as more chakra exploded from within him.

Two more tails formed on his shroud along with a set of bones which made him look like he had a skeleton covering his body. He roared again sending shockwaves through the air as the facial bones formed around his face.

* * *

"T-there are six tails!" Kiba shouted in surprise which mirrored the other's disbelief.

"This is bad; this is very bad," Ino said as she shivered from the oppressive aura the fox gave off.

"Nisan has held this back for so long…" Konohamaru trailed off as he watched.

"He's lost control though," everyone turned when they heard the voice and saw both of the toad elders had climbed up to where they stood.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked slightly hoping that he hadn't.

Fukasaku nodded sadly, "he's acting on instinct now. Take a look," he nodded down into the crater.

* * *

Inside the six-tailed fox a beautiful green necklace glowed and large wood-like objects burst out in an attempt to stop the demon chakra. The fox—Naruto however just thrust his fist into his chest and pulled out the necklace before crushing it in his hand creating a small shockwave from the resulting power spike.

'_Was that some kind of seal?'_ Pein thought confused at seeing the necklace.

* * *

"My grandfather's necklace is…" Tsunade trailed off at seeing its fate. Part of her was relieved that it had been destroyed so that no one would fall under its curse again but another part of was saddened for losing another piece of her grandfather.

"Why did the seal not activate before when Naruto was using four tails?" Kakashi asked.

"The seal that was placed on the necklace was only set to activate if Naruto lost control…he didn't lose control of his four tailed form but he did when that number increased to six," Fukasaku answered knowingly. "The seal was only capable of suppressing four tails of power at the most; six tails however…" he trailed off as they knew what he meant.

'_Dobe…'_ Sasuke thought as he watched on.

Though he wouldn't admit it he was always afraid to fight Naruto when he used Kyuubi's chakra; that was the reason he suppressed the Kyuubi while it was inside Naruto seven months ago before Naruto was banished. He had become even more wary of the blond after discovering that he was able to match Orochimaru at full strength while Sasuke had only managed to kill the Hebi-Sennin because his body was already in a weakened state.

* * *

There was a sudden echoing bang as the six tailed Naruto dashed towards him at a very alarming pace.

'_He's faster than before; the chakra is no longer weighing him down. What's going on here?'_ Pein thought as he was barely able to bring his arms up in time to counter attack, "Shinra Tensei".

Naruto had planted four of his tails into the ground prior to Pein's attack thus allowing him to shrug off the blow and not be blown away. The fox roared as its skeleton fist connected with the Deva's face.

'_What strength; the power behind that one blow,'_ Pein thought as he crashed into the side of the crater. Naruto touched down right in front of him while he was already charging another attack, _'oh no he's about to-'._

"**Rokubiko Ima-".**

"Bansho Tenin!" Pein interrupted as a large rock slammed into the fox from the side.

This of course forced Naruto to lose concentration on his Oni-Jutsu…

And the world was engulfed in light…

* * *

"Wow!" Tenten exclaimed as she covered her eyes.

"Holy shit!" Kiba shouted as the massive explosion of chakra lit up the side of the crater on the opposite side to where they stood.

"Damn it," Tsunade grunted as she saw the blast die down.

"That wasn't even fully charged either…" Fukasaku whispered as he saw the new crater that had been created beside Konoha's own crater.

Yugito groaned from the ground as her eyes started to flutter open, "…Naruto?"

"Hey she's waking up," Rei said catching Tsukino's attention along with everyone else's.

* * *

The Deva Path stood with his Akatsuki cloak all but destroyed as he glared at the grinning chakra fox who stepped around the large rock that separated them.

'_His strength has exceed my expectations…I can't win like this. I will have to use_ that_ jutsu if I even want to survive this,'_ Pein thought as he turned and jumped away out of newly created crater.

"**Rokubiko Imari!"** he heard from behind as he attempted to dodge.

'_Well at least I know he's following me,'_ Pein thought as he narrowly dodged and the attack hit the tree just ahead of him.

* * *

The sound of another explosion soon followed the blast of light in the distance as yet another one of Naruto's attacks was used. Meanwhile Sakura finished healing Yugito and she looked up at her personal summon.

"What's happened?" she asked.

"Naruto-kun has released six tails worth of power and lost control. Pein's currently running away from him but Naruto-kun appears to be pursuing him," Rei informed her.

Yugito gritted her teeth as she tried to stand, "I have to stop him".

"You're in no condition to do anything right now," Rei told her as she wrapped her tail around the blond teenager.

"Damn it," Yugito growled through gritted teeth.

* * *

"**Rokubiko Imari!"**

Another ball of compressed destruction exploded near where Pein stood after it crazed him,_ 'he nearly got me with that one'._

Behind them the terrain was littered with craters and canyons stretching for miles; neither cared for collateral damage but Naruto didn't look like he was going to stop any time soon.

'_Deva Path should be close enough now,'_ Pein thought as he stopped and made a hand-seal. He turned swiftly and concentrated his gravity manipulation into a single compressed sphere, "Chibaku Tensei". _'I'd rather not use this but…I have no choice,'_ he thought as he hurled the gravity ball into the sky above them.

The Kyuubified-Naruto looked up at the ball as he suddenly felt the gravity of the world around him shift and pull the ground out from around him. The earth itself was ripped open as large masses of earth were pulled up and engulfed the ball. This continued for several more seconds with the miniature 'moon' slowly getting bigger. Eventually the ground under Naruto was being pulled up also along with the fox.

The chakra fox seemed to see the danger and started charging his attack again, **"Rokubiko Imari!"**

The chakra projectile hit the underside of the miniature 'moon' and exploded in a torrent of light; however it remained relatively intact and Naruto could do nothing as he landed on it. More rocks—boulders came a few moments later and buried Naruto inside of the hole he had created for himself in the miniature 'moon'.

'_It's over…'_ Pein thought breathing hard from the strain of using such a high-level technique.

_Crack…_

The side of the 'moon' seemed to explode outwards slightly, _'that's…impossible…' _Suddenly a large—enormous fox with _eight tails_ burst out from the surface of the 'moon,' _'he broke out of Chibaku Tensei with brute force!!! At this rate I'll have to create a bigger one'. _He caught sight of the fox charging another attack though this time the chakra projectile looked a lot bigger, _'oh no._

"**Hachibiko Imari," **was all the warning he was going to get as the attack exploded downwards in a torrent of light.

"Shinra Tensei!" Pein called out in hopes if surviving the blast.

When the light died down the land around Pein no longer looked like it was capable of supporting life. A line—canyon stretched from where he had been standing all the way to base of a nearby mountain. The fox (who was still trapped on Chibaku Tensei) stared down on where Pein stood shakily breathing hard.

'_Unreal…'_ Pein trailed off in thought as tried to maintain his jutsu. Suddenly however the fox stopped moving as its eyes became lifeless, _'what now?'_

The fox closed its eyes as it began to glow slightly until it illuminated the sky with its light…

**Mindscape: Shinigami Seal**

Naruto was on his knees grabbing his head as the seal on his now bare stomach was distorted. Memories echoed through his mind with each passing moment making him lose further control…

_You reckless idiot!_

"Yugito…" the water at his feet was bubbling around him.

_Who would want this guy? He's a total idiot!_

He shakily stood as the water began to rise…

_Please; who would date this idiot? He's reckless; gets into more trouble than anyone I've ever met and is a pervert; if it wasn't for the fact that he's saved my life I would have gladly remained in Kumo instead of staying with him on this crazy ride._

"I'm…" he whispered as the memories flashed through his mind like images…

_Thanks for waking me Naruto…_

"…So…" he said as under his breath as he sluggishly walked towards the seal...

_I couldn't let you die; not after everything you've done for me._

"..Sorry," Naruto finished as he grasped at the seal paper on the cage…

_It's because I fell in love with you, you reckless idiot._

"Goodbye," he whispered as he took a hold and…

His arm was stopped…

"You shouldn't do that, Naruto," said one Namikaze Minato who had grabbed the teenager's arm preventing him from removing the seal.

"…Dad?"

**Author's Notes:**

Ultimate Forbidden Technique: Grand Cliff-Hanger no Jutsu!!!

(Insert: Evil Laugh)

And that's a rap for chapter 17! I know most of you were expecting this but I added in a few things to keep things interesting (like the necklace seal; that was never explained). Anyway Pein is getting his ass kicked in this chapter; quite thoroughly I might add by the Kyuubified-Naruto (he likes to throw menacing balls at people).

And as for the collateral damage…do I care? Does anybody care?

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Shinra Tensei = Devine Judgement  
Bansho Tenin = All Creation Attraction  
Chibaku Tensei = Bursting Earth Celestial Body  
Yonbiko Imari = Four-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball  
Rokubiko Imari = Six-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball  
Hachibiko Imari = Eight-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball

Hey what do you know; they use three jutsu each in this chapter. Anyway please read and review.

See Ya Later…


	18. Child of Prophecy

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter18: Child of Prophecy

**Mindscape: Shinigami Seal**

The Yondaime Hokage: Namikaze Minato turned swiftly and picked up his son before carrying him away from the seal paper which protected the Kyuubi's power.

"The seal is set so that if eight tails are released, I'd appear within your consciousness. I hoped you never would have to use it but...I looked forward to seeing how much you had grown...so I guess you could call it even." Minato said as he set Naruto down on the floor.

"Dad?" Naruto asked as he took a step away from the man.

Minato nodded, "sorry about dropping in like this but I can't sit back and let you ruin your life like this".

"Dad…" Naruto trailed off shaking his head slightly. He suddenly lunged forward without warning and buried his fist into his father's stomach, "you idiot!" Minato grunted in pain from the blow as Naruto seemed to burst into tears before him, "why did you have to seal the fox inside your own son?! Do you know how much trouble it's caused me?! I don't know whether to be happy or pissed off right now!"

Minato recovered after a moment and smiled sadly, "I…" The Yondaime sighed, "Naruto…how old are you now?"

Naruto wiped the tears from his eyes as he sobbed out, "sixteen".

Minato smiled sadly, "sixteen eh…I'm having a bit of trouble with that. To me you were just born this morning". He looked down slightly as he continued, "I'm sorry; I've done nothing but cause you pain".

Naruto had calmed down by now and wiped away the last of his tears, "its fine…I guess I just needed to get that out of my system".

Minato just smiled at that, "yeah. Your mother was the same way; she'd hit me too for making things difficult". Naruto chuckled slightly remembering his encounter with his mother's clone, "as for the reason I sealed half of the fox's power inside you. I believed you would be able to use its power should your situation ever require it and there's another reason…"

Naruto stared at him as he trailed off trying to find the words, "you mean because of Kyuubi's former summoner?"

"Yeah him; the one that controlled Kyuubi when he attacked Konoha sixteen years ago," Minato nodded in confirmation. "He's a very powerful Shinobi; it would be suicidal to fight him without some form of special power," he continued remembering his fight with the man. "I believe he'll attack Konoha again, he might even attack the entire world. Its well within his power," the Yondaime finished.

Naruto shook his head at that, "Konoha's has already been destroyed".

Minato nodded in understanding, "yeah…I saw…from the seal". Naruto looked up at him surprised, "I know about Jiraiya too".

"…Was Pein the one who sent the fox too attack Konoha before?" asked the Kitsune-Sennin.

"No not him…do you remember the Akatsuki member you fought? The one with the mask?" Minato asked knowingly.

_Flashback no Jutsu Begin_

_Naruto grabbed a hold of the older woman's shoulders and asked in an almost frightened tone, "what was the summoner's name? Please tell me!"_

_Kushina shook her head, "I don't know; we never got his name. We didn't even see his real face; he always wore a mask"._

_Flashback no Jutsu End_

Naruto had only met one Akatsuki member who wore a mask…the one he couldn't seem to hit with anything other than his…mother's sword.

"Yeah; I remember him," Naruto said remembering his little skirmish with Akatsuki a month ago.

"Back before the attack; he saw through everything I did…he's no ordinary Shinobi. He's easily one of the strongest men alive; Pein's probably being used by him," Minato said sadly recalling his own battle with the seemingly untouchable man.

"B-but Pein hates Konoha! His own village was destroyed the same way!" Naruto shouted trying to understand what he had been told.

"That's right and Pein is being used because of that fact," Minato told him.

"Being used…are you telling me that this guy with the mask is the one responsible for everything that's happened? Is he the reason there is no peace?" Naruto asked almost desperately.

"…Yes he's the one responsible but its people's hatred that is the reason there is no peace," Minato said sadly. "Trying to save the things you love breeds war. As long as love exists there will always be hatred and ninjas will be used by that hatred. People's hatred will just create another creature like Pein…that's just the way things are," He finished.

"Then what do I do?" Naruto asked as he clenched his fists.

"…What can you do? Maybe as long as the ninja system exists there can never be true peace or order. Pein asked you about peace but it's hard to find an answer," Minato told him sadly. Naruto didn't say anything to that but instead just stared at him wide-eyed, "err…Naruto? What's wrong?"

'_It can't be that easy,'_ Naruto said trying calm himself and not hyperventilate. _'But to do something like that I would need the cooperation of every nation; the details would have to be hammered out completely with no gaps but overall I think this plan of mine might actually work,'_ Naruto calmed himself down and breathed.

"Naruto?" Minato asked concerned.

"Dad; you're a genius," was the first thing the Sennin said having turned back to his father.

Minato raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I am?"

Naruto nodded with a grin that threatened to split his face, "you said that as long as the ninja system exists there can never be true peace. Power corrupts after all so what if there was no longer any need for ninja? What would happen then?"

Minato looked at his son in surprise as he answered. "Well…ninja wouldn't be used anymore and they'd just well…fade".

"Exactly," Naruto said grinned like a fox. "Thank you, you just gave me the answer I've been looking for," Naruto said as he suddenly grabbed his father and hugged him.

"Err…well okay," Minato said as the two pulled away and shrugged. "Well good luck with that," he said to his son.

"The only problem with it would be getting certain people to help; I'm not sure if I-" Naruto was interrupted by his father putting his hand on his hair and rubbing it slightly.

Minato looked at him with a smile with his hand still on his son's head, "you'll do fine. I believe in you and I always will".

Naruto grin turned into a small smile, "you really think I can do it?"

"Parent's always believe in their children," Minato said with a grin. He brought his hand up to where the seal on Naruto's stomach, "now…I have to be going…my chakra is fading. I'll restore the seal; you did a good job in finishing it but you still need to work on controlling it better. I can only do this once; there will be no way to stop you if you lose control again". The seal was returned to normal in a matter of second as Naruto grunted in slight pain from the process, "Konoha can be rebuilt…and so can the world". Minato smiled at him as he began to fade, "I'm proud of you Naruto; never forget that".

He was gone a moment later…

"Dad…thanks," with closed eyes Naruto's whisper echoed through the now silent room. He opened his eyes again with determination shining brightly in them, "let's go".

**Fire Country: Chibaku Tensei**

Naruto's vertically slitted eyes snapped open as he looked around to see where he was. Hovering over the forest below he appeared to be standing on a large sphere. A crater covered a quarter of it however—the part he stood on—which was most likely from his recent usage of the eighth tail. He still wore his coat however having learned from the last time he used Kyuubi's chakra that only acid-resistant clothing were capable of surviving anything beyond the third tail.

'_Did he find a way to control the fox's power? No…he just suppressed it,'_ Pein thought as he looked up at the now shaking moon. He strained while holding up his hands but it was useless, _'I…I can't hold Chibaku Tensei'._

'_This must be Pein's jutsu,'_ Naruto thought as he felt the 'ground' shake 'under' him. _'It looks like he can't keep it up,'_ he continued as the 'moon' slowly dropped to the surface below a piece at a time. _'Oh shit,'_ Naruto growled as the entire 'moon' dropped to the ground and crashed with a monstrous echoing impact. He landed in a crouch on a makeshift hill unharmed, _'did I…am I in Sage Mode? How? It should be depleted; I was out of chakra…did I recharge it? When?'_

'_Is he already in Sage Mode?'_ Pein thought as he caught his breath. _'He's stronger than I thought; I wanted to test the fox's power but…I never thought he'd be able to destroy Chibaku Tensei…now I see how Kakuzu and Deidara were defeated by him,'_ the Akatsuki leader thought as he pulled out one of his chakra disruption blades.

"I thought I was a goner," Katsuyu sighed relief as she climbed out of the coat pocket.

"What…happened?" Naruto asked as he looked to the side and saw the gouged out terrain which appeared to be in the direction of where Konoha once stood.

"You did that in demon fox mode," Katsuyu replied causing his eyes to widen and his breathing to pick up slightly.

"D-did I…" Naruto trailed off as he tried to calm himself.

"No one was hurt by your attacks…though you did appear to have pushed Pein into a corner," Katsuyu reassured him. "Everyone is okay; it was pure luck though," the slug finished.

"Thank god," tears fell from Naruto's eyes as he smiled relieved. "What about Yugito? Is she safe?" he asked as he wiped away the tears.

"…Your fox carried her to Tsunade-Sama; she was able to heal the damage done to her," Katsuyu answered after a moment of checking with her other bodies.

"That's good," Naruto said with a small smile. _'Just wait a little longer Yugito…I'll be there soon,'_ his eyes hardened as he raised his head towards Pein.

"I think it's about time we finished this Namikaze Naruto," spoke the Akatsuki leader.

_I believe in you and I always will…_

"Do you understand pain a little now? If you don't share someone's pain then you can never understand them. But just because you understand them doesn't mean you can come to an agreement. That's the truth," Pein stated as his eyes bore down on him haughtily.

Naruto clenched his fist at his side, "…take me to the real you. I want to speak to him face to face".

Pein his sword at his side and spoke, "…so you figured it out…"

Naruto nodded, "yeah I caught on when you stabbed me with that chakra sword of yours. It's a chakra receiver; you can transfer your chakra into people. Control them, disable them, and destroy them from the inside just like you did to me before…"

Pein just stood there staring at the blond with an unreadable expression, "…you really are something else. It's no wonder that Jiraiya-sensei chose to train you; your partner is really something too…neither of you are normal Jinchuuriki. That much is clear…but the time for talking is over; let our actions speak for us".

"Let me talk to the real you," Naruto said again trying to get the Akatsuki leader to cooperate.

Pein ignored his request and said. "Your sage mode…it won't save you forever".

'_He's right; I only have one chance to beat him…if sage mode is depleted then…'_ Naruto shook his head as he saw his opponent charge at him with his chakra disruption blade at the ready. "You asked me about peace! I will tell you my answer in person or not at all!" he shouted as his sword appeared in his hand in a flash of light.

"You lose Namikaze Naruto!" Pein shouted as he made to stab the blond. Naruto parried the blow, "give up!"

"Can I just say one thing?!" they clashed with their respective weapons.

"I don't want to hear it!" Pein shouted as he broke through and made to stab the Kitsune-Sennin.

'_Shunpo no Jutsu,'_ Naruto thought as he appeared behind Pein in a flash. "Futon: Hein," white razor like blades of wind appeared at the edges of his sword. "You should give up…" Pein turned swiftly having heard the whisper and raised his own weapon to block the coming attack only to have Naruto slice right through it. "…Thinking I'm gonna give up!"

'_What!?'_ Pein's eyes widened as his blade was destroyed.

"Futon: Rasenken!" Naruto called out as he slammed his fist into Pein's face. He flew back from the blow having his face and crashed into the neighbouring debris with monstrous force, "I got you now Pein!"

'_Shinra Tensei was barely able to deflect that last hit,'_ Pein thought as he shakily stood and saw that Naruto had picked up the fallen piece of his blade. _'What's he doing?'_ he thought as he watched the blond hold it up to the sky.

"Chakra Nami!" Naruto's flared in a massive column of blue and yellow. Shockwaves rippled across the entire battlefield; they' weren't strong enough to do much damage but they did their job, "I see you".

'_He's traced my chakra signature!'_ Pein thought with widened eyes as he saw the blond make a hand-seal.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" four clones popped into existence beside him and began to charge two separate attack in each hand.

'_I have to dodge,'_ thought the Akatsuki leader as he heard the distinctive sound a constant ringing bell.

"Futon: Tsuin Rasenshuriken!" Naruto called out as he twisted his body while holding both of the chakra shurikens. With one in each hand he gave a loud battle cry as he threw the two at him one after the other.

'_He can actually control two of those monsters at once?!'_ Pein thought as he jumped to avoid the first one. He saw the second coming at him and brought his hand up to stop it, "Shinra Tensei!" The second one was instantly destroyed before it hit him as he landed on a nearby makeshift hill, _'that was close'._ He looked down at his opponent and his eyes widened when he saw the blond had already finished charging two wind balls, _'damn it'._

"Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu!" Naruto's voice echoed through the area as he brought both wind balls together and unleashed the massive tornado it produced at Pein.

The Akatsuki leader gritted his teeth as he brought his hands up to stop the attack, "Shinra Tensei!"

_Sage Mode Deactivated_

The unstoppable wind met the law of gravity as the two attacks sent a cascade of shockwaves across the land. Entire sections of the neighbouring forest were blown away by the power the two attacks gave off. After the two attacks died down however dust covered the area negating Pein's ability to see.

'_Where is he?'_ Pein thought frantically and heard the bell-like screech he knew all too well. He looked up suddenly and his eyes widened as he saw Naruto was descending towards him with a bright white ball in his hand,_ 'five seconds!'_

"Futon: Rasengan!" Naruto said as he swung down with his jutsu.

"Shinra Tensei!" Pein called out having brought his hand up to stop the blond.

The two clashed with everything they had atop the platform-like pillar of rock that Pein had jumped on. Their attacks sent monstrous shockwaves everywhere; rocks—boulders around them seemed to just split in two under the extreme pressure that had filled the area. At the very end of this there was an echoing sound of shattering glass as Naruto's jutsu was destroyed and Pein grabbed his arm.

"It's over Namikaze Naruto," Pein told him only for Naruto to chuckle slightly.

"Heh, heh, heh, you fell for it," the blond said with a grin as he brought his other hand out from behind his back and the jutsu it held.

Pein's eyes widened, _'those last two attacks were just diversions!'_

"Futon: Tsuin Rasengan!" Naruto called out as he planted the spinning ball of wind into the Akatsuki leader's chest.

Pein let out an almost deafening cry of pain as the ground below them cracked and crumbled. The attack that hit him seemed to drill into his skin before in one final moment he no longer felt the pain. Pein was blown back at high speeds with the attack still ripping apart his body as he travelled through the air. He hit the ground with monstrous force; the impact shattered all of the neighbouring debris which was soon followed by the sound of a deafening explosion.

And with that the Deva Path had been defeated…

Naruto hit the ground a moment later and ended up sprawled across the dirt. He was breathing extra hard having used up everything he had on that last strike; he put everything he had into that last blow and knew if that wasn't enough then nothing would be.

'_He had better be dead after that last hit,'_ Naruto thought as he shakily stood.

"Are you alright?" Katsuyu asked concerned.

"I've never been better," Naruto said as he calmed himself down. He slowly made his way over to where Pein had fallen while trying not to drop from exhaustion at any moment, _'almost there'._

He soon found himself standing over the battered and bruised Deva Path. He was still relatively intact but had a large gaping hole in his chest now thanks to Naruto's last attack. Naruto didn't say a word as he removed the numerous chakra receivers the Deva Path had in his body. After the last receiver was taken out the Kitsune-Sennin just stared at Deva's face thinking over everything that had happened.

Naruto closed his eyes and held up one of the chakra receivers, "Chakra Nami". His chakra flared again and after a moment he tossed the receiver away, "I need to meet him".

"You're really going? You should take reinforcements," Katsuyu said as Naruto put her down on the ground.

"No…I'm going alone," Naruto responded and bit his thumb. He made several hand-seals and then slammed his open palm into the ground, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Tsukino no Kitsune". In a poof of smoke Tsukino appeared in front of him, "hey Tsukino-Chan".

"Naruto-kun? Did you win?" the fox asked.

"That doesn't matter right now; I need a lift," Naruto said as he hefted the Deva Path onto his shoulder.

"Where do you need to go?" Tsukino asked as her summoner climbed onto her back.

"To the top of that mountain," Naruto replied as he pointed at the nearby mountain a little over a mile away.

"Fast or slow?" the fox asked him.

"_Very_ fast," Naruto told her and her tails begun to spin behind her at an extreme pace.

"I hear you," she told him and a sonic boom they were off at an incredible speed.

"Good luck Naruto-san," Katsuyu whispered seeing him leave.

**Author's Notes:**

And that's a wrap on Naruto Vs Pein fight. This is possibly one of the best fights in the manga; I think it's on par with the Naruto VS Gaara fight back during Part 1. I had a lot of fun writing this fight; especially the finish blow. I just sort of connected with it ya know? That's the reason I've managed to update this thing so much lately because I knew exactly how it would go throughout the entire fight.

I hope you all enjoyed it too.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Shunpo no Jutsu = Flash Step Technique  
Shinra Tensei = Devine Judgement  
Chibaku Tensei = Bursting Earth Celestial Body  
Futon: Rasengan = Wind Release: Spiralling Sphere  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist  
Futon: Hein: Wind Release: Flying Swallow  
Futon: Tsuin Rasengan = Wind Release: Twin Spiralling Sphere  
Futon: Tsuin Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Twin Spiralling Shuriken  
Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu = Wind Release: Devine Wind Technique  
Chakra Nami = Chakra Wave  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique  
Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Summoning Technique

Please read and review.

See Ya Later…


	19. The Answer

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter19: The Answer

**Fire Country: Konoha Crater**

"Naruto has defeated the sixth Pein," Katsuyu informed the assembled group.

Everyone immediately snapped their attention to the medium-sized slug with various reactions to the news.

'_Dobe...'_ Sasuke thought angrily.

"H-he did it!" Lee practically cheered.

"What happened?" Neji asked.

"Naruto threw everything he had at Pein and beat him," the slug answered.

"Is he alright?" Sakura asked relieved at the outcome.

"He's exhausted but he's otherwise fine," Katsuyu answered based on her observations.

"He actually did it…" Tsunade said with a small smile gracing her lips.

"Where is he now?" Kakashi asked wanting to know what his former student was doing.

Katsuyu answered immediately, "right now he's head to where the real Pein is hiding".

"That's reckless; we have to go after him," Neji spoke up and turned to Gai who nodded at him.

"But…he doesn't want any help," Katsuyu said catching their attention again.

"No way; he can't do this alone. He's already weakened," Neji said in disbelief.

"That's funny considering you all could barely even touch Pein and Naruto took him down by himself. _Alone,_" Yugito smirked at the arrogance the Hyuga Jonin had just displayed.

"And what would you know Kumo nin?" Neji asked activating his Byakugan.

Yugito chose not answer as she stood up a moment later and immediately jumped on Rei's back, "Rei; we need to get to him now".

"Very well Yugito-dono," the horse-sized cat nodded and took off towards Katana Mountain before anyone could stop her.

**Fire Country: Katana Mountain / Konan's Hideaway**

Atop the mountain towered a tree made of papers which offered protection from forces outside. Tsukino stopped just short of it and allowed her summoner to dismount. Naruto nodded to her as he hefted the Deva Path onto his shoulder again and watched as Tsukino disappeared in a poof of smoke a moment later. He set the body down on the ground just and approached the paper tree. In one swift motion he dug hit hands inside of it and pulled the papers apart to create an opening.

"Knock knock; anyone home?" asked the Kitsune-Sennin as he looked inside and spotted two individuals…one appeared to be in some kind of walking chair. Naruto turned a moment later and picked Deva up again before carrying him inside. The hole closed behind him and he approached the two. One was female with blue hair; she stood off to the right but moved in front of the other in the chair as the Kitsune-Sennin approached them.

"Stand back Konan," the one in the chair spoke.

He was clearly male and appeared to have large chakra receivers coming out of his skin. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days either; like he had been starved. All you could see of him was his skin and bone. He appeared frail; like if he were to leave the chair and stand up he would die.

"Nagato?" Konan asked over her shoulder.

"Are you the real one?" Naruto asked the man in the chair: Nagato.

Nagato nodded and stared at the blond, "so…peace has arrived, eh?" After a bit more staring he asked, "Do you hate me? Now that you see me before you; will you take your revenge? Will you kill me?"

"For the record; I've killed you seven times already," Naruto shot back as he dropped Deva at Nagato's feet and Konan picked him up. A moment later, "you asked me about peace and I'm here to deliver my answer".

"My plan is the only way to achieve any sense of peace," Nagato said as a chakra receiver seemed to launch from the chair and struck Naruto in the shoulder. He remained standing however as Nagato continued, "your role is to be the sacrifice that will allow me to bring peace to the world. That is the right answer; no other". Naruto grunted in pain from the blow, "At this range I can easily control you with my chakra".

"You…shouldn't…underestimate…me!" Naruto shouted at him as he pulled the receiver out and shrugged off Nagato's chakra.

'_H-how?'_ Nagato asked in thought since no one had ever been able to resist his attack at this range before. That's when he caught sight of the boy's eyes; they were still slitted like were normally in sage mode but there was a red line around the eye's natural blue colour, _'he's…he's using both his sage mode and Kyuubi's chakra at the same time?! Impossible! The concentration needed to perform such a task is ridiculous bordering on ludicrous'._

"I came here to talk you; to give you my answer but…I also wanted to find out what I would feel if I really saw you," Naruto said looking down and shaking slightly.

"You wanted to…a-and?" Nagato asked with widened eyes.

"**I really want to kill you,"** Naruto answered as killing intent flooded the room. They just stood there for a moment staring at one another; **"I want to kill you so much I'm trembling. For what you did to Ero-Sennin; for what you did to Konoha…for what you did to Yugito".**

"...You can't forgive me; your only human after all," Nagato said as his eyes seemed to soften slightly.

_Sage Mode Deactivated_

"Yeah but…Ero-Sennin he…he said the day would come when people would truly understand each other…he had faith…you have none," Naruto said as his eyes returned to normal and he set his sage mode on recharge.

"It's too late for Jiraiya's idealism now; that's just not realistic. You are working for your own justice and that's fine. You're not god but…can you really believe Jiraiya's nonsense after seeing the reality?" Nagato asked him.

Naruto shook his head, "…when I found out you were his student there was something I really wanted to ask you. If you were his student then how did you turn out like this? I mean Ero-Sennin had other students; one was my father and I know for a fact he did everything within his power to protect people no matter who they were. How did you end up like this? I want to hear your side of the story before I give you my answer".

"…Alright; I'll tell you of our pain," Nagato said with a sigh.

Konan looked over at him and spoke, "Nagato; that's just a waste of time. Just hurry up and-".

"Wait Konan…I want to hear his answer," Nagato interrupted. He closed his eyes as he spoke to Naruto, "I have two sources of pain. One is my parent's death; it was in the midst of the Second Great Shinobi War...two Konoha Shinobi came into our home one day looking for food. They didn't know anyone was in and we hid from them. We were afraid that they might kill us…when we tried to sneak away I knocked over a vase by accident and it alerted the Konoha nins to our presence. They thought were their enemy and tried to kill us. Father tried to hold them off but he…"

"I see…" Naruto nodded in understanding.

"That's when my Rinnegan awakened; I slaughtered the two Konoha nins in a daze. I didn't even know what happened until the next morning; my mother and father died for a war Konoha started. I can never forget the pain of that day; it still hurts even now. As the pain turned to hatred, my powers bloomed within me. Later I would realise that it was I that had killed those Konoha nins. I buried my parents at the nearby graveyard; even ninja respect the dead so I knew they wouldn't be disturbed.

I said my goodbyes and left home alone with only a few provisions…enough to keep me alive for a day or two. I travelled around and asked for some food from the neighbours but they couldn't spare any food. I soon drew hungry and came across a dog that wouldn't stop following me. I called him Tiny and we kept travelling but…I knew we couldn't last much longer. That's when Konan saved me; she saved us," Nagato said as he turned to the other Akatsuki member and she smiled sadly at him.

"I offered him some bread; he split it between him and Tiny. After that I took them to the hideout that Yahiko and I used," Konan continued.

"Who's Yahiko?" Naruto asked having never heard of the man.

Konan looked down at Deva and replied. "This Deva Path was constructed using Yahiko's corpse".

"That's Yahiko…" Naruto trailed off as he stared at Deva's lifeless form.

"Yes he is…back then is when we first met; we were all war orphans but they were trying desperately to stay alive. They became my friends; we stole a lot in order to survive. There were no orphanages in a small war-torn country like ours; there was nothing else kids like us could do. But through it all Yahiko never gave up hope; he wanted to rule the world and bring peace to it in order to stop war…not long after he told us that we were caught up in a fight. A kunai with an explosive tag detonated right in front of us; Tiny was…" Nagato shook his head remembering his first friend.

"He died," Naruto said looking to the side.

"Yes; the ones fighting however…it was Jiraiya and them…the Sannin. They were fighting Hanzo; the former leader of Amegakure. Afterwards we set out trying to find some ninja in hopes of getting some training and becoming stronger so we could stop bad things from happening to those we care about again. That's when we found him…Jiraiya…I couldn't accept any Konoha nins…you should understand that," he saw Naruto nod slightly so he continued. "Jiraiya however was different; not long after the four of us began living together something happened".

"What happened?" Naruto asked wanting to know.

"A lone ninja attacked us; he nearly killed Yahiko but I fought back. I did it unconsciously; apparently I had some special power. It was the Rinnegan; afterwards Jiraiya began teaching us Ninjutsu; he wasn't keen on teaching us those before but decided to anyways. He said they were for self-defence but I think they were mainly a way for me to control the Rinnegan. I was scared of my own powers back then; I was filled with hatred. I was tormented by guilt and kept thinking that I had done something wrong.

He saved me and without realizing it I came to accept him; however despite this he could never discover the answer to eliminating hatred and pain. Not like us but I knew the answer right away; I just wanted to protect those close to me no matter how much pain is caused," Nagato paused letting Naruto assimilate everything he had said.

"You wanted to protect your precious people," Naruto said softly remembering the words of his first real friend.

_Do you have someone precious to you?_

"…After three years of training we'd grown stronger in body and mind but his words stayed within my heart. He said he felt that my Rinnegan could be the answer; he felt that I was the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths; the founder of the Shinobi world. Jiraiya entrusted me with that peace and then left us; Yahiko became our leader soon after and our gang grew famous overnight.

Everyone agreed with our desire to create peace without relying on brute force but the world was still the middle of a war between the three great powers: Iwa, Suna and Konoha. Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure heard the rumors about us and since he could no longer ignore us wanted to use us to begin peace negotiations between the three great nations. But that was a catastrophe; we were just children," Nagato's fists clenched in anger.

"What happened?" Naruto asked concerned.

"Because of him Yahiko died; it was a trap. Hanzo was afraid we'd wrestle control of Amegakure away from him and so decided to eliminate us. The next day when we arrived at the assigned place, Konoha's black ops were waiting for us along with Hanzo and his minions. Hanzo had joined forces with Konoha's Danzo to destroy us; Danzo wanted Hanzo's help in becoming Hokage and Hanzo wanted Danzo's help in protecting his position. Hanzo held Konan hostage and told me kill Yahiko or he would kill her.

Yahiko…was killed by me a few seconds later and that is the second source of pain I have. I thought I had grown up but nothing had changed; it was just the same as when my parents had died. I realised that the answer I had was worthless; I managed to free Konan and wreak havoc on the Konoha and Ame forces.

Yahiko was dead though and after that I became the leader of our gang in his stead. I lost many friends in battle after that; so many people just kept dying. People in the larger countries talk about peace yet they hypocritically fund wars. Their peace is built on the sacrifices of the smaller countries; your peace is violence towards us. There can never be true peace in this cursed land; what Jiraiya spoke of was nothing more than a fantasy…you've heard my story so let me hear your answer," Nagato finished.

"…What you said maybe true; I think your right," Naruto whispered looking down having heard everything he needed to. He put his hand in his coat and pulled out a small book that Nagato seemed to recognize, "however". Konan looked on confused not recognizing it but clearly seeing the effect it was having on Nagato, "if you recognise this then you also know it is another path for you to take. All you have to do it believe."

"I refuse," Nagato said instantly having not taken his eyes off of the book in Naruto's hand. "How can I believe Jiraiya now? That book doesn't mean anything; there's no such thing as real peace. It's impossible as long as we're living in this accursed world".

"Then…I will break the curse; if there's such a thing as peace I will find it. I won't give up…I already know how I'm going to try and do it," Naruto told him.

"You…that's…" Nagato trailed off surprised.

"What's wrong Nagato?" Konan asked worried.

"My answer is this; I will unite the world under one banner. One country, one military, one ruler, one lord," Naruto told him making both him and Konan go wide-eyed. "My plan is to bring all of the nations together; unite them all and then completely obliterate the ninja system from existence," he continued.

"You're going to try and erase everything the Sage of Six Paths set out to do?" Nagato asked as he stared at the blond.

Naruto nodded, "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. If I destroy all records of ninja, erase their entire existence from history then only civilians and the samurai would remain. This would stabilise the region...right?"

Nagato nodded in response, "yes it would but…to pull off something like that you would need the cooperation of every country".

Naruto smiled at that, "yeah. I guess I've got my work cut out for me huh?"

"You…" Nagato trailed off.

"Believe in me and I promise you…I'll bring peace to Amegakure too," Naruto told him.

"We studied under the same teacher…I told you before that we should be able to understand each other. I was just joking back then but…you're an odd kid; you remind me of myself when I was younger. You're different; you chose a different path and in you I can see a different future. I…will believe in you Namikaze Naruto," Nagato said chuckling slightly.

"Nagato?" Konan asked confused slightly.

"It's over Konan; my body is at its limit. I will be dead in minutes," Nagato told her before he turned back to Naruto. "Listen carefully Naruto…there is someone you must watch out for; he is a very powerful Shinobi. He is almost without equal," he told the blond.

Naruto nodded, "I already know. The Akatsuki member; the one with the mask," he said surprising the two.

Nagato nodded slowly, "his name is Uchiha Madara and he is the Sandaime Mizukage".

Naruto's eyes widened slightly, "okay that I did not know".

"He was defeated by the last Sanbi Jinchuuriki; Yagura," Nagato told him.

Naruto looked up at him surprised, "a…Jinchuuriki? How did Madara lose? From what I'm told not even my parents were able to beat that guy".

"…Yagura had full control over his Biju; he was able to use it to defeat Madara and became the Yondaime Mizukage nearly twelve years ago," Nagato stated.

Naruto looked at the ground trying to process what he had just heard, "the Yondaime Mizukage…is he-".

"He's dead; he was killed by Madara in their second battle at the Lake of the Bloody Mist where the Sanbi then resided until Akatsuki captured it," Nagato interrupted him.

"…I see," Naruto said barely above a whisper.

"Nagato…" Konan trailed off as she looked at him.

"…War brings death…and wounds and pain to both sides…there's nothing harder to accept then the deaths of those you love…so you believe…that they could never die…especially…those who haven't known war…like your generation…you try to find meaning in death but…there's only pain and hatred…that you don't know what to do with…" Nagato began to rasp out feeling his body shutting down.

"…I know," Naruto told him.

"…Dying like trash…never-ending hatred…pain that never heals…that is war…that is what you must face…Naruto…that book and you…it's like…someone set this all up…or maybe…this is the hand of a real god…" Nagato trailed off as he closed his eyes and the paper tree around them slowly began to fall apart revealing the sunlight. "Continue on…and bring this world true…peace…" his shoulders slumped as he trailed off and his breathing stopped.

Konan wiped away the tears which were now freely falling from her eyes having lost yet another close friend. She to and sent the papers she controlled to engulf Nagato and pull him out of the chair. He was completely covered with papers and hovering beside her now as she soon did the same to Yahiko as well.

"You're taking them right?" Naruto asked her as he looked over at her.

She nodded, "yes. I will give them the funeral they deserve…"

"What about you? I don't want to think you'd just return to Akatsuki…" Naruto trailed off.

Konan shook her head, "I'm through with Akatsuki. Yahiko and Nagato were everything to me; they entrusted their dreams to you. Nagato believed in you and…I will too; Amegakure will help you make that dream come true".

Naruto nodded with a smile, "thank you". He turned away from her and made a hand-seal, "I suggest you leave while you can…I'm erasing all traces of your presence from the area; Kage Bunshin no Jutsu".

Konan nodded as two clones popped into existence beside him; "until we meet again…Naruto…" she took off a moment later with the bodies of her two closest friends.

_Sage Mode Reactivated_

"Here we go; stage six…" Naruto whispered as he held out his hand and the clones began charging his new jutsu.

This particular jutsu required all of his chakra reserves while in sage mode; it was a one-shot kill move and the true jutsu designed by Namikaze Minato. He could only do it once per charge and even then he would be left exhausted afterwards but he knew the situation called for it.

"Futon: Rasenkamikaze".

**Fire Country: Battlefield**

"They certainly covered quite the distance," Shino commented as the group of Konoha nin (Tsunade included) followed the large number of craters and canyons that littered the area including the large amount of earth that had seemed to be ripped from the ground and tossed into the air.

"Yeah but where did they go?" Tenten asked as she looked around.

The nearby mountain was suddenly engulfed in a spinning ball of wind; the ball seemed to be pulling various trees into it and shredding them upon contact.

"Wow!" Kiba exclaimed as he tried to stop himself from being pulled in. The others weren't fairing much better, "what the hell is that?!"

"More importantly how do we stop it?!" Tenten shouted over the raging winds.

"I-I know what it is! It's the Rasengan's completed form!" Kakashi shouted as he used chakra to stick to the ground and covered his eyes.

"You mean that's Naruto?!" Sakura asked in a shout.

The ball suddenly exploded with great force sending a massive blast of wind in all directions and wiping out an entire forest of trees. It all went silent after the few seconds it took for it to die down. When the dust cleared the mountain was no longer there; it was just a large crater in the earth with the surrounding forest having been levelled.

"Okay; what the hell just happened?" Kiba asked catching his breath.

"He finished it…" Kakashi trailed off as he remembered his sensei trying to complete this particular jutsu.

"We need to hurry," Tsunade told them and they took off again.

* * *

"Naruto?!" Yugito shouted as she walked through the forest at the edge of the mountain's crater.

"I'm here," she heard the whisper and turned to find the one she loved slowly walking towards her with battered cloths.

His coat was torn at its edges and he had numerous cuts littering his body but overall he looked fine if a little exhausted. He fell forward and she caught him as he fell before hugging him closely.

"I…" Naruto trailed off as his exhaustion slowly overtaking him. "I promise I'll always protect you and I…will never break a promise," he slumped as unconsciousness finally overtook him.

Yugito just smiled tearfully, "you reckless idiot". She motioned for Rei to approach her, "let's go home".

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that," the Neko-Sennin turned swiftly upon hearing the newcomer's voice. Twelve figures dropped down around her including the Hokage whom she recognised.

'_There's no room to escape and with Naruto knocked out he can't Shunpo us out of here,'_ Yugito growled in thought as she saw that she was surrounded.

"We have them," Neji stated.

'_Naruto…'_ Sakura thought as she gazed on the unconscious form of her former team-mate.

* * *

Standing atop a nearby branch was a man wearing an Akatsuki cloak with an orange spiral mask. He was looking down at the scene before him with numerous thoughts running through his head; mostly on what had happened recently. Sasuke had been returned to Konoha by those two Sennin brats.

Naruto and Yugito had defeated Kakuzu, Hidan, Deidara and now Pein which even though he had taken into account the outcome it was not something he had wanted. Itachi's death was in all honesty the only thing he had actually wanted to happen. Zetsu's death by Sasuke's hand and Konan's defection were not planned for.

'_Those two brats…'_ Madara growled in thought as he looked on as the pair were taken in by Konoha. _'They've thrown quite the wrench into by plans…I think it is about time for me to return to Kirigakure no Sato,' _he thought before turning away and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

**Author's Notes:**

And that ends the Pain Arc in a rather spectacular way if I do say so myself. Hopefully this chapter will give some insight into what I have planned for this fics future. I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did; it actually pissed me off in the manga when Naruto wasn't able to give Pein an answer. I mean Minato practically gave Naruto the answer in one sentence; seriously.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique  
Futon: Rasenkamikaze = Wind Release: Spiralling Devine Wind  
Shunpo no Jutsu = Flash Step Technique

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later…


	20. Jailbreak

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter20: Jailbreak

**Fire Country: Hokage Monument / Secondary Council Chamber**

"You want to what?!" Tsunade asked in a barely controlled shout.

"The demon must be executed for its actions," said one Haruno Shiki. It took every ounce of control Tsunade had not to pummel the civilian council head where she stood, "he is a nukenin and must be dealt with accordingly".

"He saved us from Pein and you want to kill him?!" Tsunade asked ludicrously. She had expected the council to let Naruto back in after the whole attack had passed but…she never expected this, "why?!"

"If it wasn't for that demon then we wouldn't have been attacked in the first place!" Shiki shouted in anger causing the room to go silent. She continued after a moment of silence, "that demon has caused us many problems lately and must be dealt with. His whore is to be executed too; publicly so as to show that we do not stand for traitors".

"Naruto is not a traitor or a demon or did you miss the fact that the Kyuubi was there during the battle?" Tsunade shot back.

"Thank you for bringing that detail up; the crime of releasing the Kyuubi must be added to the list of charges as well," the civilian head told her with smirk.

"That is not going to happen," Tsunade said in finality only for Shiki's smirk to widen.

"We already have the Daimyo's consent Tsunade-_sama_; you have no say in the matter. The two young Sennin will be executed tomorrow at noon," Danzo spoke up from his seat in the elder section, "there is simply nothing you can do".

'_How did you manage to do that Danzo?'_ Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the old war hawk. "You can't just kill them; the problems caused from killing them are impossible to predict. That girl is the Raikage's granddaughter for crying out loud; do you really think Kumo will take her death lying down? Are you willing to risk open war between Konoha and Kumo over wanting to hurt Naruto?"

"Kumo are irrelevant; the demons will be executed and that is all there is too it," Shiki said in finality as the entire civilian council stood as one and left the room a moment later.

The elder council followed soon after with an angered Shinobi council following them a few seconds later. Tsunade was left in the chamber alone with her shoulders slumped and hundreds of thoughts passing through her mind as she tried to understand where everything had gone wrong. She remembered how things were before Team Yamato went to retrieve the younger Uchiha at the time and how she should have done more to stop Naruto's exile.

It didn't matter anymore though…

As Hokage she wouldn't stand for it though; not anymore. She was going to do something about this whole situation; something she prayed never to be forced to do but…she had no choice now.

She left the room a moment later and found her assistant, "Shizune". She said catching the young woman's attention, "gather all of the Shinobi of Konoha from every rank. Everyone but those from Root and have them in my new office within an hour".

Shizune nodded in understand, "may I ask what this is about?"

"I'm going to do something that Sarutobi-Sensei was too afraid to do," was all the blond Hokage said as she turned to leave.

**Lightning Country: Raikage's Office**

"They're going to what?!" shouted the Raikage in anger.

His assistant and bodyguard (not that he needed one): Shī answered immediately, "Konoha appears to have captured Yugito-sama and Namikaze-sama. They've been sentenced to execution by the Konoha council and the Fire Daimyo".

'_That stupid kid; what was he thinking going after Akatsuki? Especially in Konoha of all places? I sent Yugito with him so she could get stronger; not to fight Akatsuki every chance they got,'_ the Raikage shook in anger. He turned to the team that had gathered in his office and said, "Team Samui. I have a mission for you; S-Rank, infiltrate Konoha and get those two out of there before the execution".

"There's not enough time; we'll barely be at the border when the execution takes place," Karui told him as she looked over the time of the execution.

"Find the time damn it!" the Raikage shouted. "GO!"

**Fire Country: Hokage Monument / Prison Area**

Pain was all he knew; he was plagued by it but…he also felt clarity for the first time in his life. He knew what he had to do; his promises had been kept and he had defeated Pein…he had defeated Nagato in more ways than one. He had a mission now, a path to follow, an answer. He groaned as he opened his eyes and proceeded to tiredly sit up. He noticed he was in a prison cell with Yugito in the cell on the other side of the corridor from him.

"Naruto?" she asked as she saw him shakily stand.

"Hey Yugito," he grinned weakly and was about to move to grab the bars.

"Don't bother trying to destroy the bars; they've got a lightning seal on it. It will shock you if you touch the bars and there are chakra suppression seals covering the entire prison so we can't use any jutsu to escape." Yugito told him stopping his hand from touching the bars.

"Great," Naruto grumbled as he sat back down against the far wall.

"Erm…Naruto?" Yugito asked after a moment of silence.

"Yes Yugito?" he asked as he looked up at her.

"I…about what I said back when we were fighting Akatsuki…" she trailed off not know what to say.

Naruto nodded and smiled at her, "I know…I…I love you too". Her eyes widened slightly before she smiled; not the cat smile she usually used either, "I guess I always have".

"You…" he smiled as she felt her cheeks heat up at his words. "…Idiot," she chuckled bordering on giggling.

Naruto laugh lightly, "You say that way too often".

"Well its true," she shot back in amusement.

"Tell me about it," he said as he leaned back against the wall.

"What do you think they'll do to us?" Yugito asked changing the subject.

Naruto remained quiet for a moment before answering, "I don't know really".

"I-I'm scared Naruto," he looked up surprised at hearing those words from her. "I don't know what will happen; I've been told about torture and everything before but…I-".

"It will be fine," Naruto interrupted her self-destructive thoughts with a reassuring smile. "We'll get through this Yugito; trust me," he told her.

She nodded and fell silent a moment later…

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the two snapped their eyes to the door at the end of the corridor. Two figures stepped into sight; both wore Anbu uniforms but they had Root insignia emblazoned on their shoulders, "two demons".

"Who are you pricks?" Naruto demanded standing up.

The first Root looked at his partner and said, "We must be quick about this Fu-dono. Danzo-sama's plan will start soon".

The second Root: Fu nodded slightly in understand, "I am aware of that Torune-dono. This will not take long".

"Hey what are you doing?!" Naruto asked in a yell as the two Roots ripped off the lightning seal on Yugito's prison cell and opened the gate/door.

"Come here demon; we need something from you and you should cooperate," Fu told her as he took a step inside and drew a pair of kunai.

"Stay away from me!" Yugito shouted as she stepped back against the far wall.

"Leave her alone!" Naruto yelled and was forced to stop himself from touching the bars of his own cell.

Just as Fu grabs her he suddenly felt a searing pain in his chest, "w-what?"

He looked down seeing a cackling fist of lightning seemingly erupting from his chest, "Raikiri". A voice whispered from behind the Root Anbu member, "Your future is death". Fu fell forward and dropped to the floor dead, "I told you".

"Who are y-" Torune began only to be kicked into a wall.

"Who I am is of no concern to you," the shadowy figure told him as a medium-sized dog of pure electricity shot out of his hand and hit the Root Anbu member and killed him instantly.

It was then that Naruto and Yugito got a good glimpse of the man that had intervened. It was the Kitsune-Sennin's former sensei: Hatake Kakashi; he wasn't wearing his usual outfit though. He was wearing his Anbu-style outfit with a short sword at his side like a samurai and a large scroll on his back.

"Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto asked surprised at seeing him there.

Kakashi nodded and removed the lightning seal on Naruto's cell, "sorry I'm late. I got lost at the entrance; the directions I was given were terrible".

It was just like him to make up a bad excuse at a time like this…

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked as he tore open the gate/door to his cell and exited it.

"The council wants you dead; Hokage-sama wouldn't stand for it and neither will anyone else in the Shinobi population. Remember Danzo?" the copy-nin began and Naruto nodded. "Well he predicted how Tsunade-sama would react and has started his own little uprising," he explained.

"Are you saying Konoha is in the middle of a civil war now?" Yugito asked him surprised.

Kakashi nodded, "yes; Danzo's Root forces are everywhere. I had to kill seventeen of them just to get here; they're like bugs. There are hundreds of them; Hokage-sama and the rest of the Konoha nins under her command that are still in the area are fighting them right now".

"You're serious?" Naruto asked not believing what he was being told.

"Dead serious," Kakashi told him grimly and dropped the large scroll on his back onto the floor. "So serious in fact that neither Hokage-sama nor I can trust this scroll to remain in Konoha…just encase Danzo wins I want you to take it and run," he stated as he slid the scroll towards the Kitsune-Sennin.

Naruto crouched down and examined the scroll, "this is…the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing".

"Inside is every jutsu Konoha has collected including your father's Hiraishin no Jutsu," the copy-nin told him with a nod.

Naruto looked up confused, "why are you…"

"Do you remember back during the Chunin Exams when you were a Genin?" Kakashi asked him with a smile under his mask. When Naruto nodded he continued, "I decided to train Sasuke and left you with Ebisu-san. I knew you didn't like it and you thought I was playing favourites right?" Naruto nodded again as his fists clenched, "I never told you the real reason I did that did I?"

Naruto looked up at him and narrowed his eyes, "what reason?"

Kakashi chuckled before answering, "I didn't train you back then because I didn't think you needed it. In all honesty I knew you would beat Neji without my help; hell I thought you were going to win the entire tournament back then. You probably would have if Orochimaru's invasion didn't start; from what I'm told and from what I saw when you challenged Sasuke your progression rate was and still is second to none".

"You knew I was going to beat Neji?" Naruto asked confused.

"I believed you would…I truly believe you are the only one that can surpass the Yondaime Hokage," Kakashi told him causing Naruto's eyes to widen. The copy-nin chuckled again at the reaction he got, "once you leave here I doubt we'll ever meet again so I just wanted to tell you that". Suddenly footsteps began to echo through the corridor and they all turned in the direction of the source, "I think it's about time you both left".

"Stop the demons! They're escaping!" shouted the lead Root Anbu as seven of them came around the corner.

"Go! Get out of here! I'll hold them off!" Kakashi waved the two Sennin to leave.

"Come on idiot! We have to move!" Yugito shouted as Naruto picked up the Forbidden Scroll.

"Goodbye sensei," Naruto nodded at his fist sensei and turned to his fellow Sennin. "Let's go," the two bolted down the corridor away from Kakashi and the squad of Root Anbu.

"Raikiri!" a distant voice called out behind them as they left.

Naruto strapped the scroll onto his back just like Jiraiya used to do with the Toad Summing Scroll and increased his speed. Yugito was with him every step of the way as they dashed through the numerous corridors of the prison complex.

"So…have you got an escape plan?" asked the Neko-Sennin.

"I thought I'd try blasting my way out; you know mix things up a little," Naruto said back with a grin. (**Note: **Yes I know; Master Chief: Halo 3)

_Sage Mode Activated_

The two assumed their most powerful forms as they raced towards the light at the end of the corridor that clearly led to surface…

Only to stop as they spotted someone standing at end of the tunnel…

Naruto recognised her immediately, "Sakura-Chan…"

Yugito looked between the two and as they both stared at each other, _'who is she?'_

For Haruno Sakura however she couldn't help but be assault by a specific memory as she gazed upon her former team-mate…

_Flashback no Jutsu Begin_

"_You can't understand," Itachi said in a condescending tone. "I can't tell you everything; there is no time for that. All you need to know is everything Sasuke has done has been for nothing and he still has a chance to redeem himself should he chose to."_

"_What do you mean?" Sakura asked confused._

"_If Sasuke chooses not to redeem himself then he will attack Konoha and kill everyone in it," Itachi stated causing the pink haired kunoichi's eyes to widen. "Can you kill him if need be?"_

"_H-he wouldn't do something like that," Sakura said shaking her head._

"_Then you clearly do not know him," the Uchiha said in a condescending tone. "Naruto-kun does not need redeeming; Konoha was in the wrong for what they did to him"._

"_Konoha's made some mistakes in the past but-" Sakura tried to defend but was cut off._

"_A lot of crimes have been committed for the 'good of Konoha' since its founding; Naruto-kun's exile is just another thing added onto a very long list of crimes done by the village." Itachi interrupted. "If Naruto-kun were to return to Konoha he would be executed for the 'good of Konoha' just like me."_

"_He's nothing like you," Sakura snarled._

"_Oh?" Itachi raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I believe you are mistaken; despite Konoha's attempts at controlling him and his strength Naruto-kun has grew much more powerful in such a short amount of time…just like I did at his age." The Uchiha's features returned to normal as he asked, "What would you do if Naruto-kun were to be captured by Konoha and sentenced to death? Surely you realise that is what will happen should he ever be captured by Konoha"._

"_Konoha wouldn't-"._

"_What would you do?" Itachi asked again cutting her off._

_Sakura gulped and looked away, "I-I don't know"._

"_I pray you find the answer because if you do not then Konoha will burn and everything I have worked for will have been for nothing," Itachi told her._

_Flashback no Jutsu End_

"Hey," Sakura said lamely.

Naruto looked at her confused, "Sakura what are you…"

The pink-haired Chunin stepped to the side and smiled at him with tears forming in her eyes, "I'm sorry for all of the pain I've caused you. You deserve better…someone once asked me what I would do if Konoha ever caught you…I didn't know the answer at the time but I do now".

"Sakura…" Naruto trailed off as she gestured towards the exit.

"I won't stop you," she told him.

Naruto closed his eyes for a second before he nodded with a smile, "thank you". He dashed forward once again with Yugito by his side and passed Sakura within moments.

"Take care of him," Sakura whispered as Yugito passed her.

"I will," the Neko-Sennin whispered back as she ran.

**Author's Notes:**

One word: Jailbreak. Well this is the next chapter in the series and believe me you won't want to miss the next one. Naruto and Yugito's escape from the ruins of Konoha in the midst of a civil war. I bet none of you saw that coming huh? You know how I like to keep everyone guessing; this shouldn't come as a surprise but whatever.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Raikiri = Lightning Blade  
Hiraishin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Technique

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later…


	21. The Great Escape

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter21: The Great Escape

**Fire Country: Konoha Ruins**

They had made it outside and on to the rubble covered ground that was once the mighty village of the leaves. The sun had begun to set on the horizon by now and the world around them seemed to be illuminated as they saw various Konoha ninja fighting off Root Anbu forces all over the destroyed village and heard echoing explosions in the far distance.

It really was a civil war…

Naruto and Yugito dashed and jumped across the debris that littered the ground making sure not to use any jutsu and draw unwanted attention. Sadly it didn't matter in the end though…

"Hello dobe," the voice made the two Sennin stop in their tracks and turn to its source. Standing on top of a large cluster of rubble was someone Naruto knew very well, "you appear to be running. I never took you for a coward," said Uchiha Sasuke.

"Sasuke," Naruto narrowed his eyes upon seeing his former best friend.

The man had changed his outfit again—he did that a lot—and was now decked out in what looked like a Root Anbu uniform covering samurai armour like the Uchiha of old. He had let his hair grow out also compared to the last time the two saw each other and the other noticeable difference Naruto saw was his eyes…he had the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Hey isn't this the guy we picked up from the Uchiha outpost a month ago?" Yugito asked and Naruto nodded.

"What are you doing with those eyes Sasuke; I'm not dead so how did you get them?" asked the Kitsune-Sennin as he tensed in preparation for Sasuke's immense speed.

"Too acquire the Mangekyo Sharingan you have to kill the most important person to you…in this case it was Itachi," Sasuke told him as he drew his Kusenagi Sword.

"But you didn't kill Itachi," Naruto shot back with a grin and in a flash of yellow the Whirlpool Sword appeared in his hands.

"I cannot allow you to escape dobe; hand over that scroll. I need it," Sasuke demanded.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at that, "that is not going to happen Teme".

"So be it," with a quick _Shunshin no Jutsu_ Sasuke appeared at his side and attacked. "Chidori Nagashi," he whispered as his sword was encased in lightning.

'_Shunpo no Jutsu,'_ Naruto flash stepped away avoiding the hit and reappeared a few feet away. _'This isn't going to be easy; especially with the scroll on my back. I can't use Demon Fox Mode or the scroll will burn and I can't risk using Rasenken or it will be shredded,'_ Sasuke appeared in front of him again and attacked. _'He's fast,'_ Naruto growled in thought as he parried the various strikes.

"Hi no Ya!" Sasuke jumped back as Yugito let loose a volley of fire covered arrows between the two fighters. "Did you forget about me?" she asked as she touched down beside him.

Sasuke just grunted in response as he held out his blade at the side, "it doesn't matter if you both fight. You cannot win; you cannot defeat my eyes".

"I forced Itachi to run, defeated Pein and I beat _Neji_ back when we were Genin…I think that's all of the doujutsus in existence," Naruto shot back with a grin. Sasuke's face settled into a glare as Naruto made a familiar hand-seal, "Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Instantly fifty Naruto clones popped into existence all around them, "charge!"

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them again and black flames erupted from them, "Amaterasu".

The clones were destroyed in a matter of seconds…

A moment later however the flames were snuffed out by a monstrous tornado of water.

"Futon: Rasengan, Suiton: Hahonryu: Gufu Suika no Jutsu!" Naruto called out as he unleashed his ultimate water defence jutsu.

A large cloud of mist blanketed the area forcing Sasuke to take a step back, _'he used his jutsu to condense the flames of Amaterasu into this mist to negate my Sharingan…'_

"Futon: Daitoppa!" he heard the distant echo of Naruto's voice and the mist was suddenly blown away to reveal Yugito was running at him with a fist covered in crimson flames.

"Kaizuki!" Yugito called out as she made to slash him.

Sasuke turned swiftly and his hand cackled with electricity, "Raikiri!"

The two elemental attacks clashed as Naruto watched on surprised, _'he's able to do Raikiri? When did he learn how to do that?'_ He shook his head and created two clones who began to prepare his signature jutsu, "Futon:…" Just as Yugito and Sasuke broke away from each other Naruto threw his chakra shuriken, "…Rasenshuriken!"

Sasuke's eyes widened upon seeing the approaching jutsu, "Amaterasu!" The black flames that Sasuke unleashed forced the jutsu to detonate prematurely away from its intended target and he sighed, _'that was close'._

"Raikyu!" a voice called out from above.

He jumped back but was still caught at the edge of the attack's range and sent crashing into a chunk of upturned earth with an electrical discharge blowing him back. He grunted audibly from the pain the attack did and stood a moment later while trying to see clear his vision…was his vision deteriorating?

"You can't win against both of us Sasuke…just let us go," Naruto stated.

"…" Sasuke remained silent as his vision returned.

"Fine then," Naruto growled out as he held out his hand and began to channel large amount of chakra. Yugito shot up into the air with her fire elemental manipulation as Naruto jumped towards Sasuke's location, "Cho Oodama Rasengan!"

"Susanoo".

The entire destroyed village shook under the force of the massive explosion the jutsu caused and the world was engulfed in light. It was one thing to see it being used in the middle of an already existing crater…it was entirely different to see it used on a section of a destroyed village. There was now a large (though still smaller than the main one) crater next to the destroyed Konoha.

The village wall along the side had been all but destroyed on one sections of it and there was no longer any rubble in the area he had just wiped out. It had all been destroyed and reduced to a nice smooth crater. Sasuke shakily stood in the center of this crater encased in a large aura reminiscent of a yamabushi with Naruto standing a few meters away.

Upon seeing this Naruto called out, "Yugito!"

"I know!" the Neko-Sennin called back from where she hovered in the air above him. _'Two uses of Amaterasu and a single Kaizuki…I hope the airs sufficiently charged'._ She held up at hand to the thunder clouds that had gathered in the sky and called out, "Raiton: Kirin!"

Suddenly a large dog like monster made of lightning shot down from the sky and struck the yamabushi standing in the crater with a monstrous roar. The two covered their eyes at it hit and after a few moments the dust cleared to reveal a completely unharmed Sasuke.

"It didn't work," Naruto gritted out.

"What do we do?" Yugito asked him as the two dodged the large spirit swords that Sasuke struck down on where they stood.

"I have an idea; cover me!" Naruto shouted as he charged forward and the Whirlpool Sword flashed into existence.

"Hi no Ya!" Yugito called out as she fired off a few arrows at the yamabushi.

"You can't win dobe; I'm more special than you," Sasuke chuckled as he saw his former team-mate approach.

"You talk too much!" Naruto shouted as he got within range and slashed his sword across the yamabushi. The attack instantly cut through the outer layer of the spirit form and allowed him access, "I got you now Teme".

'_How did he-' _Sasuke's eyes widened as he drew his own blade.

"Futon: Hein!" Naruto called out as wind chakra formed at his blade's edges.

"Chidori Nagashi!" Sasuke shouted as his own blade cackled with lightning chakra.

The yamabushi dissipated around them as both weapons clashed sending sparks scattering around them. Naruto twisted slightly and slashed at Sasuke's midsection only for the Uchiha to parry the blow and elbow him in the face. Naruto parried the next blow by knocking Sasuke's blade to the side and land a kick to his chest which had considerable force behind it. Sasuke reeled back still holding his Kusenagi Sword in his hand and glared at the blond.

"You can't win here Sasuke…just stop already," Naruto told him but they both knew he wouldn't listen.

"I told you once that only top class fighters can read each other's minds during combat…we don't need words to understand each other dobe," Sasuke stated as he channelled chakra into his fist and it was engulfed in lightning. You could hear the chirping of one thousand birds as Sasuke dashed towards him at his top speed, "Naruto!"

Naruto clenched his fist in anger, "is that…is that all we've meant to you?!" He shot forward also while spinning chakra in his hand, "Sasuke!"

"Chidori!"…they drew closer…just a few feet.

"Rasengan!"…closer and closer until…

They met in the center and shook the earth itself. Shockwaves rippled across the land from the clash of the two monstrous techniques and lightning discharges shot out in all directions from them. Yugito remained at a 'safe' distance as she watched the two battle for supremacy but couldn't stop worrying about Naruto as she saw them both straining to hold their respective attacks.

The space in between the two fighter seemed to erupt in flames and blew the two back several feet. Naruto rolled across the ground before he finally stopped at the edge of the crater while Sasuke slammed into the side of the half destroyed village wall. They both stood a moment later as Yugito dropped down beside Naruto.

"Are you alright?" Yugito asked the Kitsune-Sennin.

Naruto nodded, "yeah…"

"We have to leave now," Yugito told him. "The longer we fight the more chance that Danzo's goons will show up," she finished.

Naruto nodded not taking his eyes off of the Uchiha, "I know but…how do we get away?"

"Shunpo?" Yugito asked him in a whisper.

Naruto shook his head in a negative, "it won't work for the distance we need".

"…And summons will take too long…" Yugito said grimly.

"Surrender the scroll dobe…you won't leave here alive," Sasuke stated as he readied his weapon once again.

"Perhaps I can lend a hand," a voice echoed through the air as a figure dropped down in front of the two Sennin.

"Sai?" Naruto asked in surprise upon recognising the Root Anbu member. "Aren't you one of the bad guys right now? You work for Danzo right?" asked the Kitsune-Sennin.

Sai shook his head, "not anymore. I am happy now that I am allowed to follow my own path…you were the one who gave me that choice and for that I thank you".

"What are you doing here?" Yugito asked him confused.

"I…I am repaying a debt…nothing more," Sai answered truthfully and turned his attention to Sasuke whom still hadn't moved. "You must go; both of you go now," he said.

"You're…" Naruto trailed off. "You do realise what will happen if you do this right?"

"I am a Konoha Shinobi…my mission it to safeguard you both and the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing…for that I will lay down my life," Sai stated as he pulled out a paint brush and sketch book.

"Sai…" Naruto said not knowing what to say.

"Naruto we need to go now!" Yugito shouted as she grabbed his armed and the two took off not looking back.

"Goodbye," Naruto whispered as they ran.

"This is very foolish of you; sacrificing yourself to stall me like this," Sasuke's eyes bore down on Sai as his Sharingan spun wildly.

"Maybe…" Sai mused the two stared each other down. _'__I am on my way…brother'._

They charged attacked a moment later…

Naruto and Yugito cleared the village wall as they dodged several explosive tags attached to kunai that hit near them. They passed Konoha Shinobi and Root Anbu fighting amongst themselves as they ran including the rest of the Konoha 11, Tsunade and the Jonin.

"There are more of them up ahead of us!" Yugito shouted as she looked back.

"What?!" Naruto shouted and saw that she was indeed correct; there were at least two hundred Root Anbu up ahead of them. "I see them," Naruto growled as his slitted eyes flashed red for a second.

"What do we do? Shunpo?" Yugito asked him.

"Not an option," Naruto told her.

"How about this then? Katon: Dai Kaizuki!" Yugito called out as she sent the long lance-like fire elemental jutsu at them.

Let's just say out of the two hundred Root Anbu that were there…only twenty-three remained with another four severely wounded.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Rei no Nekomata," Yugito called out as she summoned the cat princess in a poof of smoke.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Tsukino no Kitsune," Naruto soon followed by summoning the fox princess.

"Yugito-dono…I see you managed to escape," Rei nodded towards her summoner the blond girl climbed onto her back.

"Yeah though it was touch and go for a second there," confirmed the Neko-Sennin.

"Naruto-kun; what do you need?" Tsukino asked as he climbed on her back.

"To get us the hell out of here," Naruto told her.

"Fast or slow?" Tsukino asked.

"Fast," Naruto said as he caught sight of another squad of Root Anbu approaching them from behind.

"Let's get out of here," Yugito agreed and the two summoned creature nodded before taking off away from the ruins of the once proud village…

**Author's Notes:**

Naruto and Yugito finally escape from Konoha and set off into the night. Next chapter however things will take an unexpected turn as the two return to Kumo but I'm not going to spoil the surprise so I'll keep quiet about it…

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Shunshin no Jutsu = Body Flicker Technique  
Futon: Daitoppa = Wind Release: Great Breakthrough  
Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Multiple Shadow Clone Technique  
Futon: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken  
Kaizuki = Fire Blade  
Raikyu = Lightning Ball  
Raikiri = Lightning Blade  
Hi no Ya = Arrow of Fire  
Futon: Rasengan = Wind Release: Spiralling Sphere  
Suiton: Hahonryu = Suiton: Tearing Torrent  
Gufu Suika no Jutsu = Typhoon Water Vortex Technique  
Amaterasu = Illuminating Heaven  
Cho Oodama Rasengan = Super Great Ball Spiralling Sphere  
Susanoo = [He] with the ability to help by all means  
Rasenken = Spiralling Fist  
Futon: Hein = Wind Release: Flying Swallow  
Chidori Nagashi = Thousand Birds Current  
Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere  
Chidori = Thousand Birds  
Katon: Dai Kaizuki = Fire Release: Big Fire Blade

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Triforce Chronicles.

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later…


	22. Forced Apart

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter22: Forced Apart

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Raikage's Office**

Five days...five long days...that's how long it took to reach the village hidden in the clouds. For both of the Sennin it was a tiring journey but they finally made it. They had met Team Samui at the border two days ago and were told to return to Kumo with them acting as escorts. Throughout it all Yugito was happy that she would see her grandfather and grand-uncle again after so long for she hadn't seen either in months.

Little did the two Sennin know what would happen when they finally met the Raikage...

"Grandfather!" Yugito said cheerfully as the five entered the room.

Before anyone could blink Yugito had crossed the room and the Raikage embraced her in a hug, "Yugito-Chan I'm so glad you're safe. When I received word about your capture I feared the worst had happened".

"I'm fine grandfather," she told him as she pulled away.

"That's good; you had me worried," the Raikage said as he sighed in relief. He turned towards the young Namikaze standing in front of Team Samui and his tone hardened, "as for you. What were you thinking _hunting_ for the Akatsuki_ leader_ in _Konoha_ of all places?!" Yugito backed off from him in surprise as Naruto's eyes widened at the enraged Kage.

"Sir I-" Naruto tried to say.

"What you did was reckless and irresponsible! I sent my granddaughter with you so she could get stronger; _not_ so you could fight Akatsuki," the Raikage spoke in a stern voice. "I don't care what your intentions were; _you_ put my granddaughter in danger on more than one occasion. She was going to be _executed_ by Konoha; all because you took her there...maybe it was a mistake sending her with you after all".

"G-grandfather you can't mean that; I-I mea-" Yugito stammered out.

"Enough Yugito-Chan," the Raikage said sternly causing her to quiet down. He turned back to Naruto whose eyes were now glued to the floor, "I'm only going to say this once so listen well. You are forbidden from ever being in Yugito's presence ever again".

"G-grandfather p-please d-don-" Yugito stuttered while trying to push down her fear. Fear of losing someone else who mattered to her...

"I understand," she turned her attention to the Naruto couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze.

"Naruto," Yugito said reaching out a hand towards him.

"Anbu!" the Raikage grunted and Kumo Anbu appeared in the room on both sides of Naruto. "Will you please escort Namikaze-san out of the village?" it was phrased as a question but everyone knew it was an order.

"Yes Raikage-sama," the Anbu said in unison grabbed hold of Naruto's shoulders while making a hand-seal. "Shunshin no Jutsu," the three disappeared in a poof of smoke a moment later.

After a few moments what happened finally registered in Yugito's mind and she begun to break down. Team Samui helped her out of the room while trying to comfort her as best they could leave the Raikage alone in the room.

"It looked like it went well...but like any wound this one might swell," came a voice from the open window.

"...Yes...though I wish I didn't have to hurt Yugito-Chan this way...it must be done," the Raikage said back as he turned and saw his brother. "Everything is going just like I planned," he told the Hachibi Jinchuuriki.

**Wave Country: Tazuna's House**

"...I see; so that's what happened," Tazuna sighed upon hearing everything that Naruto had told him.

Naruto had just finished explaining the details of what had happened over the passed week to the Tazuna and the rest of his family at dinner. Akatsuki, Konoha, Pein and now...this; it was just too much to take all at once.

"So what do you plan to do?" the mayor asked him.

Naruto just looked at him unable to answer, "I...what can I do? I can't even go near Yugito without getting killed by Kumo's Anbu".

"Nisan..." Inari trailed off looking at his sensei.

It took a few moments before Tazuna finally spoke again, "...well I'm afraid only you know what you truly want. I can't tell you what to do but let me tell you something kid; without a reason to fight then there is no point in fighting".

_Do you have someone precious to you?_

Naruto looked away as the memory flashed in his mind and his gaze settled on the large scroll he had beside him on the floor.

He shook himself a moment later and asked, "Can we talk about something else please?"

Tazuna then shook his head and sighed, "...well I heard what happened in Konoha before you came back here and...Well it turns out that the Hokage's side won and she managed to kill the other side's leader".

"Really? That's good," Naruto said thankful for the first piece of good new he'd had all day.

"...However," Tazuna added reluctantly. "She was asked to step down by the Konoha council following the civil war and someone had to be chosen to be the next Hokage".

"W-what? Who's the Hokage? Wait...Sasuke," Naruto growled out the last part.

Tazuna however just chuckled bitterly, "no not him. Apparently it was your other team-mate; you know that pink haired girl".

"Sakura is the Rokudaime Hokage? How?" Naruto asked surprised.

Tazuna just grinned at him, "apparently she challenged that Uchiha kid to a fight and won. From what I gathered she used some kind of power like your sage mode thingy to stand up to him".

"Heh...she managed to get my dream job," Naruto smiled sadly at the knowledge.

"...Naruto I know-" Tazuna began.

Only for Naruto to climb to his feet and picked up the large scroll beside him. "If you don't mind old man; I...want to be alone right now".

The mayor of the town just nodded in understanding as Naruto left with the scroll now attached to his back like a former Gama-Sennin...

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Raikage's Office**

"Any idea why we were called here?" Shi asked as he, Darui and the members of Team Samui entered the empty room.

"Raikage-sama is not here...neither is Yugito-sama or Kirabi-sensei," Darui commented.

"That's because they're not coming," immediately the group turned around to see the Raikage enter without as much as a sound. "My brother is somewhere in the mountains and Yugito-Chan...She's getting ready as we speak," he finished.

"If I may ask; getting ready for what exactly Raikage-sama?" Darui inquired calmly.

"She's at the age now when she needs a husband to settle down with. Naturally I would only trust the strongest with her safety so Kumo will be hosting a tournament of sorts...for Yugito-Chan's hand in marriage," the Raikage answered shocking the group.

"With all due respect you can't be serious Raikage-sama; she would never go along with something like this," Karui asked him knowing the type of woman the blond girl was.

"I am the head of the Yotsuki clan and she is the heir to my clan...until she becomes the head of the clan she will follow my orders. She no say in the matter," the man told them.

"B-but-" Karui began only to be cut off.

"Shi, Darui, Omoi; you three will be entering the tournament as well," the Raikage's statement surprised the group.

"W-what?" Omoi stuttered surprised.

"B-but Raikage-sama we-" Darui began trying to remain calm.

"Silence!" the aged Kage bellowed. "You will not be the only ones; many will be entering the tournament not only from Kumo but also representatives from all over the entire shinobi world. That is all there is too it," the Raikage explained.

"B-but Raikage-sama please reconsi-" Darui began only to be interrupted again.

"My word is final; the decision has already been made. The tournament will begin one month from now and you three will be entering it".

**Wave Country: Tazuna's House**

All things considered; Naruto had never felt so alone in his whole life. It had been three weeks since he had returned to Wave Country...three weeks since he had last seen Yugito. For the most part he had just seemed to bury himself in his work: the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing was a rather large scroll that he intended to use to its fullest extent.

Starting with his father's most noteworthy technique...

Currently however he was sitting on the roof of the house; it was dark since the sun had already set and the moon was out in full along with the stars above. It was relatively quiet with nothing other than few chirping crickets that roamed the area. For the Kitsune-Sennin however it didn't matter; his mind was already drifting back to that blond girl he'd met so long ago when he started this crazy adventure.

"Hey kid...how are you doing?" the voice from the side brought him out of his thoughts. He didn't move however having already known who it was, "are you alright?"

"...I'm fine," Naruto replied.

"Well that's a lie; Tsunami and Inari are worried about you. Ever since you came back you've...been distant," Tazuna stated as he sat down beside the blond.

"It doesn't matter," spoke the blond.

"Kid look at me," Tazuna said as an order and Naruto turned to face him. "Do you love her?" he asked with a serious gaze.

"...Yes," Naruto admitted.

The mayor of the town nodded at that and asked. "Then what do you really want?"

"I...want to be with her," Naruto answered finally.

Tazuna sighed at that, "then why don't you?"

"Because if I go anywhere near her I'll be killed," the blond responded.

"If that's all you're worried about then...I'm sure I can arrange something," Tazuna said as he let a small smirk appear on his face.

"What are you up too you old drunk?" Naruto asked as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"I just heard an interesting rumor is all; apparently the Raikage is holding a tournament...for Yugito-Chan's hand in marriage," the mayor answered knowingly.

"What?!" Naruto's outburst echoed throughout the night air as he jumped to his feet.

"It's true; every country in the world is sending representatives to participate in this tournament in hopes of securing an alliance with Kumo and Lightning Country by having one of their own marry her. It's an interesting situation," Tazuna explained as he stood up as well.

"Is it her choice?" Naruto asked trying to calm himself.

Tazuna scoffed at that, "oh gods no; she will most likely be married off for the 'good' of her village and country".

"..." Naruto remained silent at that as he tried to contemplate what he had just been told.

"What will you do?" Tazuna question broke him out of his thoughts.

"...What do you think? I'm going to enter the tournament," Naruto answered finally.

Tazuna grinned at that and nodded, "then we are agreed but to do so _and not get killed _you will need to be Wave Country's representative".

"Okay but wouldn't I need the Daimyo's permission for something like that?" asked the Kitsune-Sennin.

"Ah of course...if we had a Daimyo," the mayor shrugged at the last part.

"...So how are we going to do this then?" Naruto asked annoyed.

"I'm going to elect you as the Wave Daimyo," Tazuna replied simply.

"You're going to what?!" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"Elect you as the Wave Daimyo," Tazuna repeated with a grin. "I'm sure the people would love it if you took the job; you are after all the 'Hero of Wave' so I'm sure they won't mind," he finished.

It took a full twenty seconds for Naruto to recover from this piece of information, "...you're serious?"

Tazuna nodded again still grinning, "dead Serious...will you accept?"

"..." Naruto didn't respond as his mind was racing with images of Yugito and the months they had spent together.

"This maybe you're only chance to be with the one you love...are you really going to walk away from that?" Tazuna asked him seriously.

"No I'm not," Naruto finally answered.

"Then what do you say?" Tazuna asked with a nod.

"I think it's about time for me to return to Kumo,"

"Of course _Daimyo-sama,"_ spoke the mayor.

**Author's Notes:**

I know its short but I seriously just couldn't find anything to write in it. Plus I haven't had access to a computer in nearly two weeks; I just had severe writer's blog for this chapter. It was terrible I tell you.

Anyway it _did_ do what I intended it to do; set the stage for the next arc. I bet no one was expecting this were they? Believe me it won't be the only surprise; there will be more but that will be revealed in time.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Gama = Toad  
Sennin = Sage  
Shunshin no Jutsu = Body Flicker Technique

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later…


	23. Enter the Maelstrom

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter23: Enter the Maelstrom

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Thunder Arena**

It had been a full month since the tournament was announced to the world and participants from all over the Elemental Countries had come to fight and prove that they were best suited to marry the Raikage's granddaughter. Most of them hadn't even signed their names since half of them would be eliminated in the preliminary rounds anyways and so their names would not be made known.

To enter you just had to write down what your job was, where you were from and your social standing. This also held true for one Namikaze Naruto; no one knew he was there since he was simply known as the 'Wave Daimyo' and he was simply overlooked by the Kumo Anbu in the area.

For the past two months Nii Yugito or Yotsuki Yugito as she was truly known as had spent most of her time thinking back on her adventures with the man who stole her heart. The one she had not seen since that fateful day...she wanted to be with him but knew she couldn't...not as things were now. Looking down from her place in the central observation box which loomed over the arena she couldn't help but feel helpless as the last of her freedom was slowly being taken away from her.

That's when the preliminary rounds began...

"Welcome all to the Tournament of Thunder; I am your host Yue and the preliminary rounds will begin momentarily!" boomed a voice across the enormous stadium from the arena's center.

Yugito sat uncomfortably in her seat beside her grandfather and grand-uncle. Her eye's drifted down to the collection of combatants below in the arena; there were easily fifty of them though this was just one group. There were _twenty four_ separate groups and each of them had about fifty participants in them each.

"Now as you are well aware; these preliminary rounds will be a several large scale matches where the last one standing will qualify for the tournament proper which will be held this time next week. To protect the crowd from stray attacks containment seal barriers have been placed on the ground, on the walls and even the air above the stadium. I shall demonstrate," Yue explained before flinging a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it at the audience. It bounced off of an invisible barrier and exploded but looked like it had detonated on a wall since it didn't reach the crowd, "as you can see you are all completely safe".

Naruto grinned though it went unnoticed by the combatants standing beside him, _'that's good. I don't have to worry about hitting the crowd now; I just hope I can do this'._

"Now the first match will begin momentarily; as is custom here. Only those who manage to make it onto the next round will be allowed to have their names known to not only the crowd but also the other participants. Now everyone get ready," Yue said as an order and the fifty combatants (Naruto included) shot away from each other trying to put some distance between each other. "The Tournament of Thunder begins...NOW!" she jumped out of the stadium and the barriers went back up the moment she was out.

Almost instantly the various ninja in the arena began attack one another in hopes that they may prevail. When he first came here he never expected something like this but...he supposed he should have expected as much. Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts as a large man covered in black marking which he identified as a curse seal appeared in front of him readying to attack.

The strike came faster than the eye could see...

Up in the central box sat a highly disturbed Yugito, "grandfather. I don't want to do this; there are people down their fighting to marry me; I don't want that".

The Raikage turned his head towards her and spoke plainly, "they are doing this for you Yugito-Chan. I will only trust your care to strongest of them".

"I am not weak," Yugito growled with her eyes flashing purple for just a second.

The Raikage saw this and nodded, "that maybe true but you must be married. You've known for quite awhile now that you would be married off as part of alliance between countries".

"Political Marriage; yes I know," the Neko-Sennin muttered bitterly. "It doesn't mean I have to like it".

"Your mother didn't like it either but she loved your father with all her heart. I'm sure you will love whoever you are married to as well," the Raikage said knowingly.

"Don't count on it," Yugito grunted in annoyance. A sudden explosion from down below drew the attention of the two as dirt was blown upwards, "what was that?"

"Someone who should not be here," the Raikage said with a small frown.

Down the stadium the only one left standing was the Oto nin; he was laughing with his curse seal still activated. "Hahahaha; it looks like I was too much for him yeah".

"Damn; that curse seal of yours caught me off guard. I never expected to see one here," a voice said from beside him.

"What?! You! But I know I just hit you!" the Oto nin shouted in disbelief at seeing the unharmed Wave Daimyo.

Naruto chuckled a little at that, "no, no; you hit me alright. I was careless".

"Y-you're kidding me!" the Oto nin shouted in surprise as he backed away slightly.

"Too slow," faster than the eye could see Naruto had buried his fist into the man's stomach sending him spinning backwards. "Rasenken," he whispered as the Oto nin hit the stadium wall with a echoing impact.

"Oooohhhh; what's this? Major upset," Yue's voice echoed her thoughts as she dropped down into the arena and walked to where Naruto was standing.

Up in the audience Omoi stared down at the man who had won the match without as much as a single injury. He turned to Karui and asked, "Hey doesn't he look an awful lot like..."

"Yes he does," Karui nodded knowing what he was referring to.

"Hello there; May I have a word with the winner please?" Yue asked him as she approached. The Wave Daimyo turned and nodded, "yes can I please ask who you are?"

His voice echoed throughout the stadium, "I am the new Daimyo of Wave Country".

Yue nodded, "of course Daimyo-sama". She smiled and handed him the microphone, "and your name?"

He looked at her for a moment, "my name..." He turned towards the crowd...or more specifically the central observation box, "my name Namikaze Naruto".

Silence reigned in the stadium for a full ten seconds...

Yue shook herself out of her stupor and asked, "Namikaze? As in the same name as the Yellow Flash of Konoha: Namikaze Minato? Now that I get a good look as you; you do look like him; a lot like him". He nodded, "are you related to him?"

"I'm his son; the Kitsune-Sennin," Naruto answered with a grin.

'_That idiot; what is he doing here? More importantly why is he painting a big bull's-eye on his ass?!' _Yugito growled in thought as she saw him stare up at her.

"Is there anything else you needed to know?" Naruto asked the announcer.

Yue shook her head, "no...I think that's everything".

"Then I will take my leave," said the Kitsune-Sennin as he turned towards the exit and shifted the Forbidden Scroll on his back slightly.

Things were about to get very complicated...

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Thunder God Hotel**

Naruto was standing in his hotel room looking out of the window at the village before his eyes. Night had fallen on the village hidden in the clouds and Naruto smiled at seeing that even though he wasn't exactly on friendly terms with them Kumo was still relatively untouched by the hatred of the outside world.

His coat was on the couch behind him along with the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing. He had absolutely refused to leave it in Wave Country (and for damn good reason); if anyone found out about it they would launch a full-scale attack on Wave Country _just_ to get the scroll.

'_Glad that my chakra control has improved; now I don't have to worry about the scroll being damaged when I use Rasenken,'_ he thought remembering the preliminary round he had fought earlier that day.

_Knock Knock_

The Wave Daimyo turned at the sound and looked towards the door, "who is it?"

"It's us! Let us in!" came Omoi's voice from the other side.

"Come on in," Naruto said and the door opened allowing Team Samui, Shi and Darui to enter.

"Hey man; it's good to see you," Omoi said with a nod.

"You too...err...where's Yugito?" Naruto asked having not seen at all since the preliminaries. Just then Yugito entered the room wearing her normal cloths without her coat on, "oh hey Yugito. How have you been?"

"You reckless idiot!" she said as she smacked him upside the head.

Naruto winced from the hit and took a step back, "hey what was that for?"

"That was for being stupid enough to enter my grandfather's stupid tournament!" she growled at him.

"Well excuse me for want to be w-" he wasn't able to finish however as she pulled his lips to hers. The kiss lasted for a good fifteen seconds until they finally broke apart, "I...and what was that for exactly?"

She smiled up at him, "that was for coming back". (Halo 3: ODST; I've been waiting for that for awhile)

A sudden exaggerated cough came from their side and they noticed that the others in the room were standing rather amused.

"As much fun it is to see you both making out. Could you please explain to us how you are even allowed in the village like this?" Karui asked and shot a grin at the now blushing Yugito.

Naruto laughed nervously, "It's funny story actually".

Samui's gaze was neutral, "how so _Daimyo-sama?"_

"Heh, heh; I got offered position as the Daimyo of Wave when I heard about the tournament. According to a friend of mine called Tazuna; he's the Mayor of Nami Town. He said that marriage tournaments forgo any kind of laws that require two people to stay away from each other," answered the Kitsune-Sennin. He shrugged and continued, "I figured I had nothing to lose and so here I am".

"That's one hell of a risk though; if you lose the tournament Raikage-sama has full authorisation to kill you," Omoi stated.

Naruto nodded at that, "I already know. But I'm not planning on losing this tournament".

"Naruto..." Yugito trailed of as she looked at him.

He turned towards her and laughed nervously, "I know this isn't exactly how you would want things Yugito but...if I do win the tournament would you...marry me?"

She buried her face in his chest and laughed slightly, "you idiot. Do you even have to ask? Of course I will marry you".

"You still have us to contend with; don't expect us to go easy on you Namikaze-san," Shi pointed out and both Darui and Omoi nodded with him.

Naruto nodded but his grin never left his face, "I know. In fact I hope you don't hold back; I'm counting on you going all out".

"What about Raikage-sama? He won't take you entering the tournament lightly; he might try to get you eliminated," Samui said getting their attention.

Naruto's grin widened as his eyes flashed red, "I want him to try".

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Market District**

Four days had passed since he had come to Kumo and Naruto was walking the streets of the village. He got surprised looks from those around him but he was used to people staring at him so it didn't bother him. His mind however kept on drifting to what Pein had told him after the Battle of Pain as it was being called.

_Flashback no Jutsu Begin_

"_Listen carefully Naruto…there is someone you must watch out for; he is a very powerful Shinobi. He is almost without equal," he told the blond._

_Naruto nodded, "I already know. The Akatsuki member; the one with the mask," he said surprising the Akatsuki leader and his partner._

_Nagato nodded slowly, "his name is Uchiha Madara and he is the Sandaime Mizukage"._

_Flashback no Jutsu End_

'_Madara...my mom, dad and even Nagato said you were strong. I don't know if I can defeat you but...I will. That's a promise,'_ Naruto swore in thoughts.

"Tsuchi Shigure," Naruto bolted to the side narrowly evading a hail of fast moving rocks raining down from above. Everyone in the marketplace stopped as a figure landed a moment later and the rocks rose off the ground a moment later, "so you were able to dodge it".

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto said and caught sight of the hitai the man wore.

"I am Shinji of Iwagakure no Sato; I have come to answer the call of the Yellow Flash," Shinji spoke as the rocks around him began to spin around in a circle.

"Great; so my dad kicked your ass and now you want to take it out on me?" asked the Kitsune-Sennin. He'd known this was going to happen; after all this was the reason his real name had been hidden for so long, "we can't fight here".

"Correction; you can't. I can," he thrust out his hand towards the blond. The rocks suddenly accelerated towards the blond at incredible speeds, "Tsuchi Shigure".

"Futon: Rasen," Naruto whispered as he created a plate of chakra in front of him to deflect the attack. Suddenly the ground burst upwards behind him and he back-flipped out of the way as earth itself tried to impale him with long lances, _'he's controlling the earth itself? Is this some kind of jutsu?'_

"It's over," rocks were lifted high into the air by a seemingly invisible force and morphed into the shape of several extremely large swords. "Tsuchi no Tsurugi," the Iwa nin said simply and the blades fell towards him.

The massive swords crashed down hard on where Naruto was standing; several shops were also destroyed though people had already evacuated them when the fight had begun. Shinji observed his handiwork with a seemingly cold indifference before nodding when there was no sign that the Namikaze boy had survived.

'_That boy must have been a nobody; what a waste of my time,'_ he thought and turned away...

_Sage Mode Activated._

...Only to stop when he felt a shockwave wash over him.

"Just where the hell do you think you're going? You challenged me remember? You should at least stay until it's over coward; why do you even want me anyway?" Naruto growled as he stepped out from behind the giant stone swords with the pupils in his eyes narrowed into vertical slits.

Shinji turned and answered plainly, "Your father killed my brother during the war. I may not have gotten the chance to kill him but I can do the next best thing and kill you. Let's see how he will like losing a family member".

_You know the pain of loss and you are working for your justice just the same as I do for mine._

_People are driven to revenge in the name of justice and so it becomes a chain of hatred…_

_Never-ending hatred…pain that never heals…that is war…that is what you must face._

Naruto remained silent for a moment as the memories came to him, "...tell me. Do you have someone precious to you?"

Shinji looked at him; confusion on his face, "not that it matters but no I don't. Your father made sure of that".

Naruto nodded in understand, "then you are lost". Suddenly he disappeared in a flash of yellow, _'Shunpo no Jutsu'._

'_He's a Yellow Flash too?!'_ the Iwa nin's reflexes kicked in and he turned swiftly just in time to evade the punch aimed for his face.

"Futon: Rasenken," Naruto whispered as his fist sailed past Shinji's face. Suddenly Shinji's face was sliced clean off by what appeared to be pure wind though a moment later his body turned to stone and dissolved, "you used the Kawarimi no Jutsu with an earth clone".

'_He almost had me with that last attack; if I hadn't pulled Kawarimi no Jutsu when I did I'd be nothing more than a stain on the ground. I'd better keep my distance so I don't get caught by his jutsu,'_ Shinji thought from down the street. Naruto suddenly formed a hand-seal and two shadow clones popped into existence beside him, _'now what is he doing?'_

Naruto turned towards him and held out his hand as the clones started pouring in their chakra and wind elemental power. A bell-like screech echoed through the marketplace as the ball of chakra in his hand suddenly formed four small wind blades around its surface. Holding the jutsu up the wind blade expanded taking the shape of a large shuriken.

_It becomes a chain of hatred._

"Futon: Rasenshuriken!" Naruto called out as he threw the jutsu straight at Iwa nin.

Shinji's eyes widened as he tried to evade it...only for it to expand when it got close enough. He was consumed in the sphere of wind and power as he was ripped apart. He didn't even get a chance to scream before the sphere exploded and he wiped all traces of him from existence.

"Love breeds hatred...am I being selfish?" he asked the now empty street.

**Author's Notes:**

Here's the next chapter; and the first chapter of this arc. The preliminaries are over and done with and the main matches will be starting soon. As for that Shinji guy...well I wanted to show that Naruto is still confused about how he's going to reach his goals and his inner turmoil. As for the Narugito moment in the hotel room; I just wanted to show what their relationship basically is.

It matches Yugito's personality and Naruto knows her well enough to know what she's like. Next chapter however I'm going to try and throw in a plot-twist that I'm sure none of you will see coming. You'll just have to wait and see though because I'm not going to spoil anything.

In other news I'd like some opinions from people; you see I'm planning on starting another Narugito fanfic where Naruto has the Rinnegan and I was wondering if any of you would actually read it if I did.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Rasenken = Spiraling Fist  
Tsuchi Shigure = Earth Drizzle  
Futon: Rasen = Wind Release: Spiral  
Tsuchi no Tsurugi = Sword of the Stone (I think)  
Kawarimi no Jutsu = Body Replacement Technique  
Futon: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later...


	24. The Gateway

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter24: The Gateway

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Thunder Arena**

"So you're the Yellow Flash's brat? I'm surprised you're still alive," taunted his opponent. He appeared to be a man from Kiri judging by his hitai and the fact that he was holding a rather large sword at his side, "you won't survive here however".

Naruto just tapped the back of his hand and his blade appeared in a flash of light...

His opponent never stood a chance...

Five minutes later Naruto stood over his unconscious opponent whose sword was now broke in two. Naruto clutched the Sword of the Whirlpool in his hand and tapped the back of his hand causing it to return to the spiral seal placed there.

"Winner: Namikaze Naruto!" Yue called out to the crowd across the now silent arena as Naruto turned to leave. "With seven straight victories and not a single scratch on him; Naruto-sama appears unstoppable in this tournament".

Once he had made it out of the arena and into the hallway he passed Darui who stood leaning on the wall.

"So you won?" it wasn't a question.

"Of course...were you betting on my opponent?" Naruto asked him.

Darui shook his head, "I bet on you....this means I'm your last opponent".

Naruto stopped and turned towards him, "and?"

"Raikage-sama has given me orders to use whatever means necessary to stop you in this tournament," Darui continued.

Naruto just chuckled and turned away, "it doesn't matter". He continued walking until he was out of sight, "I will win".

--

The next match came sooner than either of them wanted and they both stood facing each other in the arena. They both nodded towards each other and readied their weapons knowing that this match would be intense one.

"Let the twenty-fourth match of Tournament of Thunder...Begin!" Yue called out as she jumped out of the arena.

The two walked around each other making sure to keep their distance though they never broke eye contact. Naruto shot forward almost instantly as his sword flashed into his hand. Darui jumped away however and started forming hand-seals.

'_He's trying to keep me at a distance,'_ Naruto caught on and made a hand-seal of his own. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," five clones instantly popped into existence beside him and they charged together.

"Suiton: Suijinheki," Darui whispered before he spewed out a large batch of water which formed into a wall. When the clones and Naruto hit the wall Darui finished making another set of hand-seals, "Raiton: Kangekiha".

Lightning sparked inside of the water wall and destroyed the clones while blasting Naruto clear of it. Darui was already moving by the time Naruto's body hit the floor and unfolded his own personal sword. Once in range he brought the weapon up and slashed down on where Naruto lay in hopes of ending the match early.

When the blow hit dust was blown upwards and obscured the two from the view of the crowd. It died down a moment later however and the two could clearly be seen in the middle of a small crater. Naruto was _sitting_ down in the center of the crater and holding the sword by the blade like it was nothing.

'_Impossible; to be able to hold a weapon infused with the lightning element is unheard of. Wait, what is that?'_ Darui asked in thought as he saw the spinning chakra around the hand which held back the weapon.

"It will take more than that to break through Rasenken," Naruto said with a grin. He pushed upwards forcing Darui to retreat to a 'safe' distance, _'though you did catch me off guard with that little move of yours'._

'_Close combat is suicide against someone like him; I'd better stick to long-range,'_ Darui thought as he started forming hand-seals. Once he finished he held out his hands together and called out, "Ranton: Reizā Sākasu!"

"Futon: Rasen," Naruto said as a he held up a hand and a spinning plate of chakra formed in front of him. The beams of light impacted the chakra shield and appeared too splash across it like water. _'Shunpo no Jutsu,'_ in a flash of yellow light Naruto appeared behind where Darui stood.

'_Damn it,'_ the Kumo nin thought as he turned.

"Rasengan," Naruto whispered as he drove the spiraling sphere of chakra into the man's gut.

Darui was blown back by the attack and sent crashing into the stadium wall a mighty explosion. Naruto stood, his arm still extended away from him as his gaze never left the dust that had gathered from the impact. The dust cleared and Darui could be seen leaning with his back against the wall and bleeding from his stomach area and his back. He collapsed forward from exhaustion or pain, he didn't know; Naruto lowered his arm upon seeing this and nodded towards the announcer.

"Winner: Namikaze Naruto!" Yue called out to the crowd as medics came in to recover Darui's fallen body. "Err...is he dead?" the announcer asked a bit worried.

Naruto shook his head at her, "I didn't use that much chakra so he should be alright by tomorrow".

"Oh well whatever," Yue said dismissing the whole ordeal.

Naruto looked up towards the observation box and spotted Yugito sitting staring at him while trying to keep her features neutral. He winked at her with one of his foxy grins and she smiled back with a nod. When he turned to leave however things became complicated...

"Err...excuse me Naruto-sama but it is not yet over," Yue said getting his attention.

He turned to look at her, "what do you mean? I won the tournament right? That means I can finally ask Yugito to marry me".

Yue shook her head, "that is true but if you remember Yugito-sama is a clan heir and so it is the will of the clan head to decide who is allowed to marry her".

Up in the central observation box Yugito turned her head to look at her grandfather but found that he kept his features calm and collected. He showed paid her gaze no heed as he instead kept his eyes locked on the two in the arena.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked narrowing his eyes.

"To be allowed to marry the heir of the Yotsuki clan you will have to face and defeat Yugito-sama's next of kin," Yue answered.

Naruto gulped slightly, "and who might that be?"

"Raikage-sama of course".

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Raikage Tower**

"What the hell is this about old man?! What the hell is your problem with me?" Naruto asked in a shout. The Raikage just sat behind his desk staring at the blond with an almost unreadable expression on his face, "well answer me damn it!"

"I do not need to explain myself to you _boy_; the rules dictate that the only way for you to wed Yugito-Chan is by defeating me. That's all there is too it," the Raikage stated clearly.

Naruto steeled himself and asked, "Why?" When he got no reply he narrowed his eyes, "you wouldn't do something like this without a reason so what is it?"

The Raikage smirked at him, "my motives are no concern of yours. What about you? Why are you here anyways? Is it because of Yugito-Chan or is it something else?" Naruto remained quiet so he continued as his smirk lengthened, "do you have someone you wish to fight?"

_Your eyes reek of a chakra far fouler than my own; it reminds me of Uchiha Madara…_

The Raikage saw him tense and continued, "It looks like you do from the look in your eye. Heh; it doesn't matter; if you want to marry Yugito-Chan then you'll have to go through me _Daimyo-dono. _I won't back down or go easy on you; I didn't against your parents and I won't against you".

"My parents?" Naruto asked as levelled a glare at the man behind the desk.

The Raikage just nodded with his grin still present, "I fought them both once. I'm probably the only guy whose survive an encounter with both of them and I will tell you this. I may not have been able to beat them; but I _was_ able to force a draw".

"You..." Naruto trailed off as he stared at the man.

"I'm your gateway to that grand stage kid," the Raikage chuckled. "Let's do this Namikaze," he said in finality.

Naruto glared one more time before turning away, "fine; I'll just have to beat you then".

"You're welcome to try _boy_," the Raikage said with a grin.

Naruto didn't say anything as he left...

--

"So how did it go?" Shi asked as Naruto exited the office.

The Kitsune-Sennin shook his head, "nothing. He wouldn't even tell me why he was doing this or what's in it for him".

"Well the match isn't scheduled until next month so at least you have some time," Karui said trying to lighten the mood.

Shi just shook his head, "Raikage-sama is the strongest Shinobi in Kumo. He won't be easily defeated Daimyo-sama".

"I know...where's Yugito?" Naruto asked not seeing her in the group.

Samui was the one who responded, "I saw her take off earlier after the announcement. I think she's up on Cloud Peak but I'm not sure".

Naruto nodded and turned to leave, "I need to talk to her".

"The match will be held in the Valley of Lightning so watch yourself," Omoi told him as the blond left.

**Lightning Country: Cloud Peak**

Cloud Peak was the mountain which towered over all of the rest in the area; it was even larger than the mountain Kumo was located on and was mostly covered in snow and ice. Throughout her childhood Yotsuki Yugito would always come up to this mountain where the earth met the heavens and she could gaze out over the vast amount of land in every direction.

Sadly her thoughts weren't on the view...

'_Grandfather...why would you do this?'_ she asked in thought but received no answer. Her legs hung over the edge of the cliff in the mountain wall near the top and she eyes never left the far horizon where the sun would set in a matter of minutes.

Her mother had been in very much the same situation as the young woman found herself in right now. During her teenage years her mother: Yotsuki Usagi had married her father: Takamichi Daisuke after he had bested every other man that wanted her hand in marriage. Originally they hadn't been in love—in fact they hated each other—but they eventually couldn't force themselves away from each other.

'_Mom...what would you do right now?'_ the Neko-Sennin thought as she saw the sun begin to set on the horizon.

"Hey Yugito," a voice called from behind her and she turned her head slightly to the side. Naruto approached her a moment later, "I've been looking all over for you".

Yugito turned her head back to the look out again and said, "Why?"

"What do you mean why? I wanted to talk to you," he said as he sat down beside her.

Yugito shook her head at that, "no I mean why are you going this far for me?"

"You mean the tournament?" she nodded at his question. "Because I can't live without you," he told her.

"..." Yugito remained silent as she smiled.

"I read up on your grandfather; his record is amazing," Naruto said with a sigh.

Yugito chuckled slightly, "yeah..."

"From what I read he was and still is one of the strongest Shinobi in the world. When he was younger during the Third Great Shinobi War he has been said to have defeated and killed over three hundred Suna Shinobi single-handed," Naruto shook his head as thought over what he had learned about the man.

The Neko-Sennin nodded at that, "I know; grandfather also fought your father and mother to a standstill right?"

"...How did you know?" he was honestly didn't expect her to know that detail.

"Kirabi-sensei told me a long time ago; he said that no one was ever able to stand up against grandfather before Namikaze Minato," Yugito responded.

Naruto stared at her for a few long moments before he asked, "...do you think I can do it? Win I mean?"

"Yes; I believe in you but..." Yugito clenched her fists. "...I don't want either of you to get hurt," she finished finally.

Naruto just looked down and chuckled slightly at that, "heh. Thanks for the concern Yugito but I don't need it; I'll win and that's a promise".

She looked up at him and her voice seemed to catch in her throat, "you..."

"And I never go back on my word," he spoke as he raised his eyes to look at her again. "Now come on; we should be heading back," he finished with a smiled.

"...Alright," Yugito nodded as she stood.

They left the mountain just as the sun finally set on the horizon and the world was consumed in shadow of night...

**Lightning Country: Kumo / Raikage Mansion**

It was late when the two made it to the mansion and the streets were still buzzing with activity. Mostly people drinking, partying and generally having a good time. After taking a detour to avoid the crowds they finally arrived at their destination.

Yugito reached the door and turned around, "well thanks for walking me home Naruto".

"Hey it's no problem at all; I mean what was I supposed to do? Just leave you to walk here by yourself; not a chance," Naruto said and took a mock bow. "Good night fair princess," he said trying to play the role.

Yugito just chuckled, "idiot".

"Yeah I know," he shrugged as he stood straight again. "I'd better be going...bye Yugito," he said as he took a step away from the mansion...

...Only to be pulled around and have a pair of lips attached themselves to his. He settled into the kiss after a second and soon started returning it. After a few they broke apart and she smiled up at him.

"Goodnight Naruto," she said as she stepped back.

"Goodnight Yugito," Naruto said as he saw her enter the mansion and close the door behind her. _'I'd better get out of here before the old man comes,'_ he turned to leave and started towards the street again.

"Yo you should really watch your surroundings; or you might get caught up in a number of misunderstandings," a voice rapped from the side.

Naruto turned towards the newcomer and caught a glimpse of him in the moonlight. He wore a Kumo hitai and appeared to have dark skin like the Raikage. He also had a tattoo in the shape of a horn on his cheek as well as a collecting of swords strapped to his back.

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto asked though it sounded more like a demand.

"I am the man who floats like a butterfly and stings like a Killer Bee," the man seemed to sing the words. His voice dropped into its rapping style the next moment however, "I'm here to offer you help to defeat my brother; that's if you don't consider me a bother".

Naruto's sword flashed into his hand, "your brother is the Raikage?"

"But of course; and believe me he won't show you any remorse. How about you come with me; after all who better to train you than another Jinchuuriki?" Kirabi asked with a wide grin.

**Author's Notes:**

I was originally going to make Naruto fight Omoi but...I just couldn't make the fight work. Now onto more pressing issues; yes I will admit it is a plan created by the Raikage to see if Naruto was good enough for Yugito _however _I bet none of you thought I would match Naruto against the Raikage huh?

I of course added in a Narugito moment and finished it up with Naruto meeting Kirabi. For the record the guy is one of my favorite characters (even though I can barely write about him) ever since he kicked Sasuke and his goon squads' collective asses. Next chapter will be an interesting one I'm sure since I _promise _you that Naruto will face off against the Raikage in one magnificent battle.

In other news I have just uploaded the first chapter of Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles. It starts off during the Chunin Exam Arc of Part 1 so please read it if you have the time.

P.S. I have not forgotten about Naruto: Triforce Chronicles; I've just hit a writers bloc half way through the chapter. I _will_ update it in the next week or two (hell I've got most of the chapter written up already I just don't know how to end it).

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Rasenken = Spiralling Fist  
Suiton: Suijinheki = Water Release: Water Encampment Wall  
Raiton: Kangekiha = Lightning Release: Wave of Inspiration  
Ranton: Reizā Sākasu = Storm Release: Laser Circus  
Futon: Rasen = Wind Release: Spiral  
Rasengan = Spiraling Sphere

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later...


	25. Flying Thunder God

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter25: Flying Thunder God

**Lightning Country: Storm Cloud Ravine**

"Where the hell is he?!" Yugito shouted as she, Shi, Darui and the members of Team Samui arrived at the Hachibi Jinchuuriki's home.

"He's long gone yo; said he had to go back to Wave so..." Kirabi shrugged as he leaned back in his chair.

"Would you stop your infernal rapping at a time like this?! His match starts in ten minutes! If he's not there he forfeits!" Yugito yelled.

Kirabi just waved his hands dismissively, "he'll be here. Just ask his summon over there," he nodded towards a large human-sized toad which appeared to be sleeping.

Yugito instantly recognized it and marched over to its sleeping form. Not bothering to be gentle she smacked the creature upside the head causing it to jerk awake.

"Hey what was that for?!" the toad whined.

"Why isn't Naruto here Ero-Gama?" Yugito's voice sounded it menacing even though she wasn't using her Biju's chakra or her own killing intent.

Gamakichi laughed nervously, "Well he said he needed more room to train so he headed back to Wave Country two weeks ago".

Yugito's glare didn't lighten, "and how does he plan on getting back in time?"

The Toad pulled out a large scroll from seemingly nowhere, "with this".

"What's that?" Karui asked stepping up to see the scroll.

"A reverse summoning scroll; it's handy for getting to places," Gamakichi said with grin. He laid the scroll out on the ground, "now everyone please step back". They all took a step away as the toad finished making hand-seals (I'm not even sure how that's possible) and slammed his webbed digits down on the scroll. "Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu," he said as the scroll burst into a cloud of smoke blocking all view of the area.

The Kumo nins coughed slightly as the smoke cleared and they could see a figure standing in the center of it. Or should I say they _tried_ to see who it was; he was covered in a constantly spinning current of chakra and wind which blocked his entire body from being seen. His eyes were still visible but they were blue with an outline of red at its edges. After a moment the wind and chakra died down as his eyes returned to their normal shade of ocean blue.

Gamakichi just grinned at him, "So how'd it go in Wave bro?"

Naruto shot him one of his grins and answered, "I've done just about everything within my power. No matter who I'm facing I feel like I can beat just about anything right now...well anything besides Raikage-sama".

"I can't decide whether he's talking tough or not," Karui muttered.

"For Naruto that's some statement," Omoi agreed.

Gamakichi gave the Wave Daimyo a look and asked, "hey bro. Where's the Forbidden Scroll you had on you when you left?"

"I left it with Gerotora before I left," Naruto replied.

"Come on your match starts soon; you _don't _want to be late," Samui said as she turned away and started walking.

Kirabi stood up and grinned, "hey kid. Do you really think you can win? I mean my brother won't be taken down so easily".

Naruto just sent him a grin worthy of a fox, "You'll just have to watch the match if you want to find out Mr. Eight".

Kirabi just smirked at that, "now that _does_ sound promising".

"Let's go already," Yugito said as she grabbed Naruto's hand.

**Lightning Country: Valley of Lightning**

The Valley of Lightning was a large canyon situated between two large mountains north of Kumo. The canyon itself was enormous, stretching for over a hundred miles. The clear sky above allowed the sun's rays to scattered across the land giving it a look of deceptive tranquillity. Thousands of people from all over the Elemental Countries had gathered on the nearby mountains to watch the coming match that would shake the fountains of the Lightning Country.

The leader of Kumo, the Raikage stood in the center of this grand arena. With his calm visage and neutral look, he appeared somewhat bored though to anyone who knew him personally they would have seen the anxiety in his eyes. A sudden flash of yellow light caught his attention and he looked up at where it originated.

"Sorry I'm; I got lost on the road of life," Naruto said offhandedly as the wind around him started to pick up slightly.

"So you came after all huh? Good to see ya kid; shall we begin then?" the Raikage asked with a grin slipping across his face.

Naruto's gaze turned serious at that, "not yet; I need to ask you something". The Raikage raised an eyebrow at that as he continued, "I've found another reason to fight you. If I manage to defeat you here will you acknowledge me as having reached the level of my parents?"

The Raikage's grin widened at that, "sure kid; if you beat me. But if that's what you want then I suppose it would only be fitting to tell you my name. My name is Yotsuki Rikiya and I am the Yondaime Raikage".

"Well then," there was a flash of light as the Whirlpool Sword appeared in Naruto's hand. "Let's go wild," he declared as and dashed forward.

"Let the final match begin!" Yue called out to the crowd.

'_Shunpo no Jutsu,'_ Naruto closed the distance between them in an instant and slashed with his sword.

'_So this is his famous Shunpo no Jutsu; impressive but I can already see its weakness,'_ Rikiya smirked as he narrowly evaded. "You have to do better than that kid," he said as he kept evading the following strikes.

"And you shouldn't underestimate me; Futon: Hein," wind chakra formed a white blade of friction over sword.

'_He's upgraded the Sword of the Whirlpool with his wind element? Heh not bad kid but still not good enough,'_ Rikiya smirk spread into a grin as a he started channeling lightning chakra to his hand. "Rai no Tsurugi," he said as a blade of lightning formed in his right hand.

'_His reflexes are too good; Shunpo is useless against someone like him,'_ Naruto thought as he parried the Raikage's first and second sword strike.

'_His Kenjutsu is good but Kushina's was better,'_ the Raikage thought as the two broke apart.

'_Kenjutsu is no good against him,'_ Naruto thought as pointed the sword towards his opponent. _'This isn't going to be easy,'_ he thought grimly.

Rikiya chuckled slightly as if reading the blonde's thoughts, "since you're going to go all-out I might as well cut loose too...trust me you'll want to dodge this". He started forming hand-seals faster than anyone could see, "Cho Oodama Raikyu". A huge ball of electricity, at least the size of his own body formed in his hand and he threw it towards Naruto, "catch!"

Naruto watched as it came and felt something he hadn't felt since awakening after his fight with Pein.

Clarity...

He knew what he had to do; there was no catch, it was just him and his opponent. In that moment a shadow clone popped into existence beside him and pulled him out of the way faster than the eye could see. Once he touched back down on the ground, he quickly flash-stepped behind where the Raikage stood.

Rikiya turned quickly, his superior reflexes kicking in and parried the horizontal slash. Instead of breaking off like before however, Naruto kept going and with the aid of his wind elemental chakra managed to cut through the sword of lightning in one swift stroke. The Raikage saw this and quickly backed off knowing that taking a direct hit from that blade would bring down even a man of his calibre.

"You're not bad kid; there aren't too many who can cut through a sword made of pure lightning manipulation. Even fewer are still alive," the Raikage spoke with a grin and tossed the destroyed sword aside.

"Then I'll just have to be one of the ones who've lived huh?" Naruto said with a grin of his own. A moment later the sword he held disappeared in a flash of light and he let out a heavy breath. He closed his eyes and silence claimed the canyon.

'_What's he doing?'_ the Raikage narrowed his eyes as he felt the air around him change slightly.

_Sage Mode Activated_

Rikiya suddenly felt a weak but wide shockwave wash over him as Naruto opened his eyes revealing that the pupils were now narrowed into vertical slits. _'So...that's the famous Fox Sage Mode of Namikaze Naruto,'_ the Raikage thought.

He quickly formed a hand-seal that was all too familiar to him, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu". Four clones popped into existence beside him and the Raikage was instantly on his guard, "alright let's do this".

'_What's he planning?'_ Rikiya watched as the four clones started channelling large amounts of chakra into Naruto's two hands. _'That must be his original jutsu; I remember seeing him use it in the tournament earlier,'_ he jumped back intent on putting some distance between the two of them.

"Futon: Tsuin Rasenshuriken!" Naruto called out as he threw the pair of chakra shurikens at the Raikage.

'_How can he throw something so quick-spinning and condensed? If even one of those hit I'll be done for,'_ Rikiya thought briefly and channelled chakra to his hands. "Tsuin Oodama Raikyu," he threw two large than normal lightning balls to intercept the approaching shuriken.

The forces of lightning and wind collided with each other forcing the chakra shurikens to detonate prematurely and expand into all consuming balls of wind and destruction. Two loud thumps echoed across the canyon as both balls of wind exploded in a blast of nature sending dust scattering in all directions.

'_He can expand them too, even if they're intercepted,'_ the Raikage realised and looked around for the blond in the midst of the dust cloud. A flicker of light from above caught his attention and he looked up seeing Naruto there and holding a pair of scrolls, _'are those weapon scrolls? Wait—does that mean that last attack was just a distraction so he could get them ready? He's smarter than he lets on, this kid"._

"Taju Fūin Kai!" Naruto called out as he unsealed the two scrolls.

Almost instantly a large volley of kunai erupted from the scrolls in a massive poof of smoke; they fell quickly to the ground as the Raikage evaded them. Some did hit him but they appeared to just bounce off him leaving no damage and fall harmlessly to the ground. Rikiya watched as the kunai around him began to glow and his eyes widened in realisation.

"These kunai...there's no way he could have-" he was cut off however.

"Hiraishin no Jutsu," there was a flash of yellow light as Naruto landed a monstrous punch to the Raikage's face sending him flying back.

'_Damn it; so he really did master it,'_ Rikiya thought and Naruto appeared above him the next instant ready to hit him. "You're not half bad kid," Rikiya said as he sent an uppercut at Naruto only to meet empty air.

Naruto was behind him now with his fist at the ready, a split second later the Raikage swung an arm back aiming to strike at Naruto before he could attack. Again it met empty air and Naruto appeared in front of him again.

'_What? He's even faster now; he must be using his Shunpo no Jutsu to augment it,'_ Rikiya realised as his fist smashed down on where Naruto was standing only for him to appear behind the Raikage a moment later. "Hold still!" Rikiya shouted the ground around them exploded from his impact.

"Not a chance!" the blond shouted back as he attacked from almost every direction.

* * *

"W-what exactly is going on here?! Is this an illusion? The blows just keep coming and coming seemingly without end. Raikage-sama is engulfed in a torrent of light as the Kitsune-Sennin batters him from all sides and he can do nothing but stand there and take it!" Yue exclaimed as she watched awestruck at the scene before her.

"Go Naruto!" Omoi shouted.

"Hey shouldn't we be rooting for Raikage-sama? I mean we are Kumo-ninja right?" Karui asked as she looked at her team-mate.

Omoi just shrugged, "good point...but I don't care".

'_Grandfather...Naruto...you two...'_ Yugito didn't know what to think as she watched the fight continue.

* * *

'_That is some speed—ugh,'_ Rikiya thought as he was knocked into the sky by one of Naruto's monstrous kicks to the stomach. The next moment Naruto threw out a Hiraishin kunai at the air right above him, _'that can't be good.'_

"Hiraishin no Jutsu," there was yet another flash of yellow light as Naruto appeared above him and his whole body covered in raging winds. "Futon: Rasenken!" he called out as he landed a monstrous punch to the Raikage's gut.

Rikiya was blown down and crashed hard into the as a plate of spinning chakra formed under Naruto to keep him in the air.

'_I hit him and then some; I even used the Futon: Rasenken but I wasn't really doing any real damage. It was like I was trying to punch Pein back in Konoha; I just can't inflict any lasting damage on the guy,'_ Naruto thought as he saw the dust clear to reveal an unharmed Raikage lying down in the middle of a small crater.

_Flashback no Jutsu Begin_

"_Go in there with the intent to kill and you might just be able to pay the bill," Kirabi told him during the training._

_Flashback no Jutsu End_

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the memory of his training over the month,_ 'I hope this works'._ He started channelling large amounts of chakra to his hands as he jumped off, "here I come! This is it!"

Rikiya eyes widened slightly, "crap". His body tensed as Naruto drew near, "Raiton no Yoroi".

"Cho Oodama Rasengan!" Naruto called out as he landed the large ball of spinning energy.

A massive explosion rocked the entire canyon as the jutsu detonated and reduced the nearby mountainside to a crater. Trees were blown away but thankfully everyone who was watching was outside of the blast zone so they weren't injured because of it. The dust cleared a few seconds later and revealed the form of the Raikage on one knee groaning in pain.

"Maaaan; okay that hurt. Any ordinary ninja would have been blown to pieces by a thing like that...not pulling any punches are you kid?" Rikiya asked with a groan as he shook his head to get rid of the slight dizziness he had.

"I'm not done yet," Naruto said from behind him. The Raikage turned quickly but he was already too late, "Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu!"

'_You're kidding?'_ Rikiya thought hopefully only to blown into the ground by a monstrous tornado of wind and air.

He hit the ground hard sending a dust cloud into the air as he went followed by the tail end of the tornado. Naruto kept the jutsu going for another five seconds before cutting his chakra and letting the jutsu die out. Silence settled on the battlefield as Naruto landed feet first on solid smooth terrain and smoke drifted out from where the Raikage lay face down on the ground.

_Sage Mode Deactivated_

Naruto let out a sigh as his eyes shifted back to normal though he never took his eyes off of where the Raikage now lay...

* * *

"H-he's down! Raikage-sama is—I mean he's just—could anybody have actually predicted this outcome? To think someone other than Namikaze Minato himself has left Raikage-sama motionless on the ground; in-incredible," Yue shook herself to see if her eyes were deceiving her. "He's not moving a muscle; I-if there are no objections I'll begin the count now".

"No way..." Karui's eyes were glued to the scene before her.

"Did that idiot actually do it?" Yugito asked barely above a whisper but everyone else heard it just fine.

"M-maybe," Shi answered truthfully. "I mean Raikage-sama really let his guard down just now and the guy just took advantage of that," he explained.

Omoi was openly cheering, "Nice one Naruto!"

"He took a direct hit from _three_ S-Rank Jutsus one after the other; even Raikage-sama is going to have some difficulty fighting after taking that kind of damage," Samui commented.

Kirabi's face however remained neutral throughout all this...

* * *

'_Looks like my plan worked out after all,'_ Naruto thought as he stared at his opponent's unmoving form. "A man like him won't fall for traps and I'm no match for him in experience...so how is a sixteen year old kid like me meant to beat him? It's simple really," he spoke with narrowed eyes. "With speed and power," he finished.

"It's one thing to say that Daimyo-sama but to actually make it a reality is an entirely different thing," Yue said shaking her head. "Do you want to get in one last blow? It won't make you popular but it's not against the rules," she told him.

Naruto shook his head at that, "no...I'll wait. It would be dangerous to approach him right now".

"What?" Yue asked confused.

Just then the strangest thing happened...the Raikage rose to his feet just as the ninth count was stated.

"H-he stood up," Yue said in disbelief. "H-he's up? He's on his feet and standing as though nothing happened...is he even hurt?" her question echoed through the air allowing all to hear.

* * *

"Oh no," Karui muttered as her eyes widened.

"Damn it; this is bad," Omoi said through gritted teeth.

'_Naruto get out of there now!'_ Yugito tried to yell but no words came out.

* * *

A low chuckle escaped Rikiya's lips but it soon escalated to all out laughter. His head held back as he laughed to the heavens themselves, his voice booming over the canyon.

"W-what in the world is this? H-has he sustained damage to the head or something like that?" Yue asked nervously.

He brought his head back down settled his gaze on Naruto; lightning chakra sparked as his body was engulfed in it. His muscles were now tense as his gaze became unwavering and hardened for the first time since the fight started.

'_This isn't killing intent it's...his presence alone,'_ Naruto realised as his heart started faster. "Yue-san you might want to get out of here," he said.

"Y-yes I think I should," she said and left as faster as she could.

'_This is the first time I've ever seen Raikage-sama take a stance...'_ Naruto thought as he sawRikiya settle into a Taijutsu stance. Naruto closed his eyes and said simply, "I guess this is where the real fight begins right?"

The Raikage's face remained neutral as the lightning danced across his body, "yes it is".

_Sage Mode Reactivated_

**Author's Notes:**

Well how do you like the first part? Yes? No? Maybe? I don't know...could you repeat the question? Well here's chapter 25 and it was surprisingly easy to write...hopefully the next one will be as well. For the record I hate the fact that Kishimoto has made the Kages out to be total pansies since Sasuke has been pretty much kicking their asses.

This is my way of saying 'up yours!' to him by making the Raikage _stronger _than Killer Bee (who kicked Sasuke's ass...three times).

Okay before someone complains about the Raikage's name; well since he doesn't have one I needed a name that practically described 'unsurpassable wall'. I heard that Rikiya meant strong so I thought it was a good choice of name to use (I hope it's a guy's name; I really do).

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Gyaku Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Reverse Summoning Technique  
Rikiya = Strong  
Futon: Hein = Wind Release: Flying Sparrow  
Rai no Tsurugi = Sword of Lightning  
Shunpo no Jutsu = Flash Step Technique  
Cho Oodama Raikyu = Super Great Ball Lightning Ball  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique  
Futon: Tsuin Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Twin Spiralling Shuriken  
Tsuin Oodama Raikyu = Twin Great Ball Lightning Ball  
Taju Fūin Kai = Multiple Seal Release  
Hiraishin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Technique  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist  
Raiton no Yoroi = Lightning Release Armour  
Cho Oodama Rasengan = Super Great Ball Spiralling Sphere  
Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu = Wind Release: Devine Wind Technique

Please Read and Review.

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	26. Shadow VS Demon

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter26: Shadow VS Demon

**Lightning Country: Valley of Lightning**

Naruto's attention snapped up as the Raikage appeared in front of him. He ducked under the punch that was sent his way and flash-stepped behind the much larger man. The blond threw a punch only for Rikiya to turn swiftly and grab his arm. He didn't lose his momentum however and threw Naruto across the _entire _canyon at an extreme velocity.

'_His reflexes have gotten better but how?'_ Naruto asked in thought and while he was still in midair made a hand-seal. "Hiraishin no Jutsu," he disappeared in a flash of yellow and appeared beside the Raikage once again. Before he could land his attack however Rikiya dropped to the floor and threw out his elbow at the blond, _'I can't even touch him now!'_

"Erubō," the word echoed as Rikiya delivered the monstrous elbow to Naruto's midsection. Naruto winced in pain from the blow as he was blown back from the impact. Before he could get far however the Raikage grabbed his foot and pulled him back.

'_Oh shit!'_ Naruto's eyes widened as the Raikage drove his fist down on Naruto's stomach. Dust was blown up as Naruto hit the ground and the area around them shifted into a nice, neat crater at least twenty meters wide. _'Damn it even with the Futon: Rasenken that hurt like hell,'_ he thought with a wince. Suddenly Rikiya jumped off him, _'this can't be good'._

"It's over; Girochin Doroppu!" he shouted as he prepared a monstrous kick.

Naruto's eyes widened, "Hiraishin no Jutsu". He disappeared in a flash of yellow just as the Raikage attacked. Dust was blown up into the air upon impact as Naruto appeared on the other side of the canyon next to move his remaining kunai, _'I can't keep this up. I'm almost out of Hiraishin kunai; I should probably stick to long range attacks from now on'._

"Do you see the difference between our levels now kid? Just because you've forced me to take this seriously doesn't mean you can actually defeat me; why don't you just give up? No one would blame you for it," Rikiya said with a smirk.

"If Pein, the leader of Akatsuki couldn't get me to give up what makes you think you can? Who the hell do you think I am? I never back down and I never go back on my word. I made a promise I _always_ keep my promises," said the Kitsune-Sennin as he formed a hand-seal.

"Spoken like a true Uzumaki," the Raikage commented as he remembered a particular scene.

"_Just who the hell do you think I am? I will never break my word and I don't give up until the end," said Kushina as she levelled her sword at him._

'_He may look like his father but that spirit is definitely inherited from his mother. His fighting style is too,'_ Rikiya observed with a smirk.

"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," hundreds of clones popped into existence around the original.

'_I see what he's doing; with this many clones I've lost track of the original. He's trying to keep me off balance...not bad kid,'_ Rikiya's smirk broke into a full blown grin as the clones charged forward.

The clones barrelled towards him with renewed vigour, "come here old man!"

Rikiya's grin never left his face as he lifted his arm towards the coming sea of red and yellow.

"Not good enough kid; Raiton Rairyudan no Jutsu," a massive dragon made of lightning shot out from his arm and started wiping out the large number of clones.

Out of the five hundred clones that were created only three managed to get through the Raikage's assault, "Bunshin Daibakuha".

Three loud thumps echoed throughout the canyon as the clones exploded in three hot clouds of smoke and flame. It cleared quickly however revealing a completely unharmed and unfazed Raikage standing in the center.

_Sage Mode Deactivated_

'_So even exploding clones are useless against his defences...I should have expected that since he survived a direct hit from my Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu at point-blank range. Damn it my sage modes ran out of chakra again,'_ Naruto thought grimly from his hiding place behind a nearby boulder.

"Hiding won't help you kid; you know your father was a great man. I hated him; after all he's the only one to have actually beaten me. Your mother was able to force a draw with me too; if I were to compare them to you I'd say you've taken the best qualities of both of them. You look like the spitting image of your father but you have your mother's heart and mind. That makes you very dangerous I'll admit but you're still not in my league," the Raikage's voice boomed across the canyon.

"You say that like I give a damn; I've beaten opponents beyond my level time and time again. This time will be no different," Naruto's voice echoed throughout the canyon so as not to give away his location.

Rikiya turned his head, "that may be true however against my Raiton no Yoroi you stand no chance. In addition to enhancing my body to the point that it physically is impossible to touch me my jutsu also enhances my reflexes to the point where I can react, counter and move with speed comparable to your speed Jutsus".

"That explains how your able to stand up to Shunpo and Hiraishin but everyone has a weakness. I'll find yours," Naruto said still hiding.

The Raikage chuckled at that, "you're welcome to try".

* * *

"What are they doing exactly?" Omoi asked confused.

Samui was the one who answered, "They're trying to play mind games with the other so their opponent makes a mistake".

'_Naruto's hiding but it's only a matter of time before grandfather finds him. If he doesn't think up a plan and quick then he's done for,'_ Yugito thought as she watched the match.

* * *

"I found you," Rikiya said and turned swiftly.

Naruto's eyes widened as he jumped away, _'damn it'._

_Sage Mode Reactivated_

"Cho Oodama Raikyu!" the Raikage exclaimed as he threw a massive ball of pure lightning at the boulder. It was vaporised instantly along with everything with a hundred meter radius, "your speed won't save you forever kid".

'_I have to keep my distance,'_ Naruto thought as he saw the Raikage pursuing him.

"Tsuin Oodama Raikyu!" two balls of pure lightning were hurled through the air towards him.

Naruto saw them coming however and flipped forward while still in midair so he was upside down with his arms crossed over his chest, _'if it can stop Amaterasu then it can stop a pair of those things'._ A wide plate of spinning chakra spiralled into existence to cover him as the two attacks impacted it, "Futon: Rasen".

He though the attacks were nullified Naruto was still blown backwards from the impact but his hands were already in motion. He ran through hand-seals as fast as he could and once he was finished he created two balls of pure wind in his hands.

'_That's the same jutsu as before...it's not enough kid, just face it already,'_ Rikiya sighed at the thought.

"Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu".

What happened next the Raikage didn't expect however; instead of launching the attack at him like he had thought. Naruto instead aimed for the ground below him which resulted in the Jutsu's recoil blasting _himself _high into the air above the canyon.

'_What the hell is he doing?'_ Rikiya thought in surprise as he saw Naruto ascend into the sky.

"Futon: Rasen, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Naruto whispered as he created another chakra plate to land on. Two clones popped into existence at his side and immediately started charging his next attack. A terrifying bell-like screech filled the air as Naruto jumped off of the chakra plate and accelerated down towards the ground where the Raikage stood. "Shunpo no Jutsu," he whispered as he suddenly accelerated in a streak of yellow light.

'_He's using gravity in combination with his Shunpo no Jutsu; that will add more power to his attack and it will make it nearly impossible to counterattack...for an ordinary shinobi that is,'_ Rikiya grinned and braised himself.

"Futon: Rasengan!" Naruto called out as he struck the Raikage dead center in the chest. "Got you," he grinned as the attack exploded in a sea of white light and spinning winds. His grin faulted however when the 'Raikage's body shimmered slightly and burst into electrify, "what the-ugh!" His entire body suddenly felt like was on fire as large amounts of lightning coursed through him, _'damn it was a lightning clone'._

"Hehehehe; it's an interesting jutsu isn't it? The Rai Bunshin no Jutsu...it's just as effective as those exploding clones of yours...well at least to an enemy," Rikiya said as he appeared behind the blond. Naruto tried to turn would his body wouldn't comply for some reason, "I'm sure you've noticed that you can't move now. Every nerve cluster in your entire body has been shocked and it will take a few minutes for you to get any feeling back in them. That's all the time I need to finish this however".

"Damn it I was careless," Naruto said through gritted teeth.

Rikiya smirked as he grabbed the blond and turned him upside down like a rag doll.

"Game over kid; Raiga Bomu!" the Raikage's voice was soon followed by a monstrous blast of dust as the two bodies dropped to the ground with great force.

_Sage Mode Deactivated_

* * *

"It's over," Omoi sighed.

Shi nodded solemnly, "yeah. No one's ever survived that jutsu before...it'd be a miracle if he's even still alive after that".

'_Naruto...'_ Yugito's breathing was ragged now as she continued to watch.

* * *

The dust cleared after a few seconds to reveal Rikiya standing up straight with his arms folded and his gaze locked on Naruto's prone form which lay a few feet away. Naruto coughed slightly, sending blood scattering across the ground. His insides felt like they had been turned to mush by the impact; his neck hurt like hell and every muscle in his body ached from the pain he felt at that moment.

"Your done kid; anyone else would have been killed by that jutsu. You're lucky to be alive after that; just give up before I have to kill you," the Raikage's voice echoed across the canyon.

'_Without Sage Mode I can't keep Futon: Rasenken running; that last attack of his drained it completely to keep me alive. I'm rapidly running out of options here...that's if I ever had any to begin with,'_ Naruto thought as he let out a pained groan. He couldn't move even if he tried, "I...won't...give...up," he gasped out the words.

"...Fine then," the Raikage sighed and raised his hand to the sky. "Tell me do you know why I picked this valley for us to battle in? True its size was one of the reasons but the main reason for it was entirely different," he smirked as he explained. "You see this entire canyon is statically charged because of the local environment...now since you've spent quite a bit of time with my granddaughter I know you've got an idea on how her Jutsus work right?" Naruto's eyes widened as he realised what the Raikage was referring too, "I see you do".

"Naruto! Get up you idiot!" the two were surprised at the source of the voice. Yugito had apparently grabbed the mike Yue had and was using it, "you can't give up like this! On your feet damn it!"

'_Yugito-Chan...I'm sorry I'm forced to make you cry,'_ Rikiya thought as he turned his attention back to the defenceless Kitsune-Sennin.

'_Yugito I...'_ Naruto thought as he closed his eyes.

"This is the end for you Kitsune-Sennin," the Raikage spoke.

"Naruto!"

"Raiton: Kirin".

Naruto's eyes snapped open just as the attack came down...

And the world was engulfed in a sea of crimson light...

* * *

"What the hell is that light?!" Karui asked in a shout as the column of light erupted from Naruto's position and destroyed the attack that would have killed him.

"A better question would be what is with that chakra?!" Omoi told her as he covered his eyes.

"That is the number nine, and now he'll be fine," Kirabi answered in his own way as the light died down.

"That's the..." Yugito trailed off at seeing what form Naruto had taken.

"The guy has six tails...damn," Omoi commented.

* * *

'_Now that I think about it this is the first time I've seen him use the Kyuubi's power; he's been using his own since this fight started. Is he actually able to use the demon's full capabilities? Only two Jinchuuriki have ever accomplished that feat and one of them...is my little brother...don't tell me he's been training this brat,'_ the Raikage narrowed his eyes as sent a glance at the mountain where he knew his brother was watching.

"**You can pound me as much as you want but it won't do anything! You can beat me within an inch of a life and I won't care! I've never given up before and I won't start now!" **Naruto shouted as he shot forward faster than before.

'_He's as fast as his Shunpo no Jutsu,'_ Rikiya thought as he ducked under Naruto's the punch. "Erubō," he whispered as he delivered the monstrous physical attack to Naruto's Youki-covered stomach.

It didn't do anything however; actually it did the opposite since his arm felt like it was on fire after the attack connected. A split second later one of Naruto's chakra tails swung round and slashed from the side in hopes of catching him. The Raikage's enhanced reflexes kicked in however and he backed off just in time.

Naruto flipped forward and planted his chakra claws on the ground so he was standing on his hands instead of his feet. Rikiya raised an eyebrow at the manoeuvre only for his eyes to widen as Naruto's six tails suddenly started moving and slashing at him in irregular patterns. The tails came down on him and he rose his arms up in defence hoping his lightning armour would be able to hold them off.

'_That fighting style...that's Killer Bee's Kenjutsu with seven swords. He's using those chakra tails like Killer Bee does with his seven swords; it's completely unreadable too,'_ the Raikage realised as the tails came crashing down on him. Dust was blown upwards—for several miles actually—and the audience had to cover their eyes. It died quickly however to reveal that the Raikage had backed away again intent on putting some distance between the two, _'this kid continues to impress me'._

"**Why are you running? I thought you were going to beat me?"** Naruto growled in a mocking voice.

Rikiya just smirked at that, _'he's trying to keep me off balance with his mind games"._ He charged two balls of lightning and threw then at Naruto hoping to slow him down, "Tsuin Oodama Raikyu". Naruto swatted the attacks out of the way as if they were nothing, _'he deflected my lightning attacks with chakra alone? It must be highly condensed if it's able to resist my jutsu...its acidic too if the pain in my arms is any indication'._

Just then however Naruto let out a deafening scream as a large number of red and blue balls shot out of his body and floated in the air around him.

A small drop of sweat travelled down the Raikage's face as he spoke, "this is...unfortunate".

* * *

"Hey guys, doesn't that look an awful lot like-" Omoi started.

"Yes it does," Karui nodded.

"Where did he learn an Oni-Jutsu? Did you teach it to him sensei?" Omoi asked the Hachibi Jinchuuriki who appeared to be grinning at the match.

"He already knew how to do it, now watch carefully to this little bit," Kirabi rapped with his eyes not leaving the fight.

"The Imari," Yugito whispered as she watched the chakra spheres gathered at Naruto's mouth and start to compress.

* * *

"**Rokubiko Imari!" **Naruto bellowed as the menacing ball of death and destruction accelerated towards the Raikage at incredible speeds.

'_So it's projectile in nature instead of a beam like Killer Bee's,'_ Rikiya narrowed his eyes as the attack closed in on him.

With his enhanced reflexes he dodged to the side at the last moment; it grazed his stomach like it was nothing and detonated in stream of blinding light. Rikiya dived away just outside of the blast and clutched his bleeding stomach.

'_That was just a graze; incredible. If he had scored a direct hit then I'd be...'_ the Raikage thought as he stood a moment later and shrugged off the blow. A moment later Naruto descended towards him from above, _'damn it I was careless'._

"**Yoko Rasengan!"** Naruto called out as he struck down with a large _red_ ball of spinning chakra.

Rikiya narrowly escaped the blast as it detonated with the same intensity as the last attack, _'so this is the power of the strongest of the nine...still...'_ He grinned as he finally came to a stop, "kid if this is all you've got then you can't win this".

The chakra fox just levelled a glare at him but didn't move to continue his attack. He closed his eyes as he remembered all that had happened since he started this journey.

_Do you have someone precious too you?_

_I truly believe you are the only one who can surpass the Yondaime Hokage._

_I believe in you and I always will._

_Parents always believe in their children._

"**I don't care what you think; I'll hit you with everything I've got!"** Naruto spoke finally. The chakra around suddenly him bubbled as it encased the 'bones' on his Tailed-Shroud.

'_This is...'_ Rikiya gritted his teeth as he saw Naruto's form bulge and grow.

The ground around the blond suddenly exploded in a column of crimson light blinding everyone from viewing what was happening. Suddenly the light vanished followed by a weak but extremely wide shockwave. All the while the Raikage never took his eyes off of Naruto's form...well he wasn't exactly hard to see anymore.

Standing on all fours was a large monstrous chakra fox with _nine _tails...

"...Well shit," the Raikage said through gritted teeth.

The fox roared...

**Author's Notes:**

And there it is...the ninth tail. I know that most of you wanted to see it when Naruto fought Pein but I couldn't put that in because he wasn't able to control it when he was fighting Pein. If he had continued he would have died...or worse exploded with enough force to destroy half of the Elemental Countries.

Moving on, I will admit I did base some ideas for this arc off of the Negi VS Rakan match in the Negima series (most just the last chapter) but I think I made it work out for Naruto. I mean ever since I read that manga battle I kept on thinking Naruto VS Raikage would be exactly like that...well mostly.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Shunpo no Jutsu = Flash Step Technique  
Hiraishin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Technique  
Erubō = Elbow  
Girochin Doroppu = Guillotine Drop  
Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Multiple Shadow Clone Technique  
Bunshin Daibakuha = Clone Great Explosion  
Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu = Wind Release: Devine Wind Technique  
Cho Oodama Raikyu = Super Great Ball Lightning Ball  
Tsuin Oodama Raikyu = Twin Great Ball Lightning Ball  
Futon: Rasen = Wind Release: Spiral  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist  
Raiton no Yoroi = Lightning Release Armour  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique  
Futon: Rasengan = Wind Release: Spiralling Sphere  
Raiga Bomu = Liver Bomb  
Raiton: Kirin = Lightning Release: Qulin  
Rokubiko Imari = Six-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball  
Yoko Rasengan = Demon Fox Spiralling Sphere

Please Read and Review.

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	27. The Last Gamble

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter27: The Last Gamble

**Lightning Country: Valley of Lightning**

"Oh shit," Omoi gulped on seeing the enormous fox in the canyon below.

"Err...are we safe here? I mean Naruto's using _nine tails_ worth of power here!" Karui shouted.

"Don't worry about it yo; its fine, not like he's the Biju himself, yo," Kirabi spoke trying to calm her down.

"He is massive! He's the size of the Hachibi," Karui exclaimed as she pointed towards the large fox.

'_Watching this fight...I feel like I should get stronger too. I mean they're both so far beyond my level now,'_ Yugito thought as a smile graced her face. Her usual smirk and grin were nothing compared to this smile, _'he can win!'_

* * *

"**Kyuubiko Imari!" **Naruto's demonic voice echoed throughout the canyon as a blinding light erupted from his mouth. The beam destroyed everything it touched as he swerved his head and wiped out everything within forty miles around the Raikage.

Rikiya stood on one knee clutching his stomach tightly, _'in this form he's far more dangerous than anyone else I've ever encountered. Minato...you really beat this thing? I may hate you but I have to respect your strength; to do otherwise would be stupid on my part'._

"**Yoko Rasengan!"** Naruto bellowed as a ball of red chakra formed his in claw. He struck down on where the Raikage stood and the entire area was flattened by the blast.

'_I guess he really can level mountains...to think he's able to use the Rasengan while in that form too,'_ Rikiya thought as he jumped away.

"**Hold still old man!" **Naruto shouted as three of his tails tried to swat him out of the air.

Rikiya dodged however and threw his counterattack, "Tsuin Oodama Raikyu!" The two balls of lightning thudded against Naruto's side but he didn't even flinch from the impact, _'I thought it wouldn't work but I had to try at least once'. _Suddenly more red and blue spheres started to merge at Naruto's mouth, _'damn it he's charging them faster now!'_

"**Kyuubiko Imari!" **the attack cut through the earth like it was made of paper paved the way for a nice little lake the in the future.

The Raikage jumped high above the walking weapon of mass destruction and started charging his next attack above his head, "not bad kid but I've defeated my brother when he goes Hachibi! What makes you think this will save you from my wrath?!" He threw down a massive ball of lightning in hopes of defeating him there and then, "Cho Oodama Raikyu!"

"**I don't care about that!"** Naruto shot back as the attack hit him in the side. He shrugged it off however, **"I am not your brother! He may not be able to beat you but I am!"**

'_He's not even feeling my attacks anymore; that body isn't like any Biju I've ever seen. It's there but it's not at the same time; it's the size of the Hachibi but unlike the Hachibi it is impenetrable to almost any attack. Add in the fact that it has no elemental weakness like the Nibi and its one hell of a problem...at this rate I may have to resort to _that_ jutsu in order to stop him,'_ were the thoughts running through Rikiya's head as he landed back on solid ground.

The fox suddenly let out a deafening roar as red and blue spheres started gathering at the tips of each of his nine tails...

* * *

"Err...are those-" Omoi tried to ask through nervousness.

"Yes they are," Samui replied calmly.

"There are nine of them," Omoi gulped.

'_How can he control so many of them at once?'_ Yugito asked as her smile widened.

* * *

'_That is not good,'_ the Raikage thought as he tried to run.

"**Taju Imari".**

Nine large black menacing balls shot down towards the Raikage in large beams if light and laid waste to the landscape as they went. The ground was set ablaze as the beams reduced everything in the canyon to nothingness. After a few moments the attack died down and silence claimed the land. The dust cleared after a few more seconds and Naruto could clearly see his opponent on one knee breathing hard.

'_I'm reaching my limit,'_ the Raikage thought as he rose to his feet once again. _'I have to suppress the power of his Biju right now or else I will lose,'_ he narrowed his eyes and pulled out ten modified kunai. He jumped high into the air above the large fox and threw the ten kunai all around him evenly, _'that should do it'._

"**What are you doing?"** Naruto asked as Rikiya touched back down in front of him.

"How do you think I defeated my brother? He is a Jinchuuriki and an extremely skilled one at that even if he does like to mess around half of the time. No human can defeat a monster like the Hachibi without an ace up their sleeve. Mine are these," he said gesturing towards the kunai all around Naruto.

"**Suppression seals?"** Naruto asked as he narrowed his eyes at the kunai.

The Raikage nodded at that, "that's right. They're extremely powerful ones as well; these ones are my own personal creation just in case I ever encounter an enemy Jinchuuriki".

'_**Damn it,'**_Naruto growled at falling into the trap.

"Fūinjutsu: Fūin Raimu," the Raikage held out a hand as the ten kunai glowed purple.

White lightning shot out of them and pinned Naruto's huge form to the ground. A large spear of lightning covered in hundreds of seals appeared in Rikiya's hand as he jumped into the air once again. He threw the spear a moment later and it pierced right through Naruto's back and out his stomach. It even went further and imbedded itself in the ground under him.

The fox coughed up some blood as his body seemed to convulse and steam began to float off from him. After a few moments it became clear that the fox was shrinking, getting smaller and smaller as one by one his tails were drained away. Eventually his form couldn't be seen through all of the steam though the Raikage did give a sigh of relief at finally having taken down the monstrous creature he was fighting.

'_I should wrap this up quickly once the dust settles,'_ he thought as he waited for the fog to clear.

* * *

"I can't believe it...did he lose?" Omoi asked when he saw the fox disappear.

"Don't count him out just yet, he's still got a chance to win I bet,'Kirabi told him.

'_Even the ninth tail wasn't enough...Naruto you still have something left right?'_ Yugito asked in thought as she felt her heart beating faster.

_

* * *

_

Sage Mode Reactivated

The fog was blown away by the shockwave as Naruto stood in its center. His skin just finished healing as his pupils narrowed into vertical slits and his gaze settled in on his opponent.

'_He's already in Sage Mode? How did that happen?'_ Rikiya thought with a raised eyebrow.

'_So I was right; my demon chakra does replenish my sage reserves,'_ Naruto realised as his fist clenched. _'Is that why I felt so...powerful when I confronted Nagato? If so then I should be able to...'_ his eyes closed as the wind began to pick up around him.

_Hybrid Mode Activated_

A much stronger shockwave erupted from Naruto's position as his eyes snapped open revealing that a red line had formed at their edges.

'_What is that? He's...I don't believe it; I thought I sealed his Biju's chakra off. This shouldn't be possible,'_ Rikiya thought as his eyes widened.

'_I only get one shot at this; the same trick won't work twice. If I drop out of this...Hybrid Mode then I'll lose; I'll either win or I won't in the next three moves. It's all up to timing and a lot of luck,'_ oh he'll probably need divine intervention.

"I don't believe it...there's no way you should be able to use your sage mode and your Jinchuuriki form at the same time. The concentration needed for something like that is more than any human can handle," the Raikage stated.

Naruto just grinned, "You mean like looking left and right at the same time? That's what I thought but it's actually pretty easy if you spend enough time working on it".

"How do you look left and right at the same time? _That _is impossible," the Raikage told him.

Naruto's grin widened, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu of course. I used something like three thousand clones over the past month to try and get this thing under control without killing me".

Rikiya's eyes hardened at that, "it won't save you".

"Let's finish this," Naruto said as his body was encased in a torrent of wind. "Futon: Rasenken," he whispered as he settled into a Taijutsu stance. "Futon: Kaze Shunpo," he disappeared in a flash of yellow light and instantly reappeared at the Raikage's side.

'_This is his Shunpo no Jutsu again; without Hiraishin no Jutsu however it will be less effective,'_ Rikiya thought as he threw out his fist to where he knew his opponent would attack from.

Something he was not expecting happened though...

Naruto's body shimmered yellow for a moment as he seemed to shift slightly to side narrowly missing the Raikage's counterattack. Faster than the eye could see Naruto landed a monstrous punch to the Raikage's face sending him flying back through the air.

'_What the—oh I see what he's done—he's infused his wind elemental affinity into his jutsu. This must allow him to make course corrections while fighting instead of randomly moving across the battlefield in hopes of catching his enemy by surprise. That is truly a powerful jutsu _however_ I said it before and I'll say it again. Speed won't save you forever kid,'_ Rikiya thought as he landed on his feet.

Naruto appeared in front of him again and landed a powerful kick to his chest sending him crashing into the canyon wall with great force. The dust cleared soon however and the Raikage could be seen standing unharmed.

"Your new form is powerful kid but it's still not good enough," he said simply.

* * *

"They're both at their limits; that idiot can't keep this up forever and grandfather is almost out of chakra. It could go either way at this point," Yugito said.

* * *

"You're wrong about that; you may be stronger than me while that Raiton no Yoroi is in use but...I bet you can't keep it going. You must be running low on chakra by now," Naruto said knowingly.

Rikiya just chuckled at that, "your right about that but I can last for a few more minutes. Even if I'm not a Jinchuuriki my chakra reserves are far greater than any other humans".

Naruto grinned at that, "well let's see how much you have". He quickly flash-stepped away a few dozen feet and made a hand-seal, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu". Two clones popped into existence beside him and the Raikage gave him a confused look, "you don't get it do you? I led you here so nobody else would get caught in my next attack".

'_Then...ever since he entered this new form he's been pushing me to where he wants me to be!'_ Rikiya's eyes widened at the realisation.

A constant deafening screech filled the air as the clones pored the powers of energy and wind into one single technique. The sphere of destruction glowed red in his hand with four thin blades of yellow wind spinning around it. The blade expanded into the form of a shuriken as he twisted his body in preparation.

'_Is that the same jutsu as before? No it's different...I can't allow myself to get hit by that,'_ the Raikage thought as the wind around them picked up.

Naruto twisted his body and threw the chakra shuriken towards him, "Futon: Rasenkamikaze!"

'_I must escape now!'_ Rikiya shouted in thought as he disappeared in a burst of speed.

He didn't look back as he jumped out of the canyon and continued on for another ten miles on the open terrain before the jutsu finally detonated. The chakra shuriken expanded into a ball of spinning wind, engulfing most of the canyon and some of the neighbouring area where the Raikage fled into. Trees, boulders and even the earth itself were pulled into the maelstrom of power before being crushed and slashed by its unstoppable wind.

_Hybrid Mode Deactivated_

* * *

"What the hell is that?!" Karui shouted as she tried to hold herself in place with chakra.

"That's Naruto's jutsu! I saw him use it once before! He destroyed a mountain with it!" Yugito shouted over the wind.

"I can believe that!" Omoi shouted back at seeing the destructive power that was being unleashed. "That thing is worse than Kyuubi!" he continued.

The ball suddenly exploded with tremendous force sending a massive blast of wind in all directions forcing everyone to be blown off of their feet. It all went silent after the few seconds it took for it to die down.

Yugito stood up and clutched her head with her hand, "is everyone okay?"

"Yeah we're just fine," Omoi groaned as he stood up.

"What kind of jutsu was that? I've never seen anything like it," Yue asked as the rest of the audience managed to stand up again.

"It's called the Futon: Rasenkamikaze...it's the only jutsu Namikaze Minato _wasn't_ able to finish," Yugito answered having heard of it from Naruto.

"Are they dead?" Yue asked as the group turned their attention back to the canyon (or what's left f it).

* * *

The smoke cleared after a good thirty seconds or so and revealed the Raikage on standing at the edge of the massive crater breathing hard.

'_Damn it this kid is really something else; he's made me run out of chakra. My jutsu is no longer active,'_ Rikiya gritted his teeth as the sweat rolled down his head. He caught sight of Naruto standing in the crater at its edge just a dozen or so yards away, _'damn it at this range he can make it'._

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," two clones popped into existence beside him. One of them was charging his last attack while the other threw the original through the air straight at the Raikage, "here I come old man!"

Rikiya's eyes widened, _'I can't dodge in time'._

Naruto came down and buried his attack straight into the man's gut, "Rasengan!"

The ground around them cracked as wisps of chakra spiralled out from the blow. Suddenly the Raikage was blown back and crashed hard the ground with a thunderous explosion. Dust was blown up from the impact even as Naruto's body hit the ground and he rolled across the terrain. He stopped just before the impact zone breathing hard and struggling to remain conscious. He shook himself to try and get rid of the dizziness he felt and painfully looked towards where the Raikage had crashed.

'_That's my limit I guess; I used every trick I knew and even a few of Kyuubi's. I gambled everything on that last attack; I can't beat him if he gets back up,'_ Naruto thought as he tried to steady his breathing. The dust cleared and Rikiya could be seen lying on his back. His ribs were bloodied and he groaned from the pain that flooded his body, "that has to bring you down".

"Yeah," he gasped out through gritted teeth. "You got me good kid; I can't continue. Nice one kid; you win this round but I expect a rematch sometime," he gasped out each word with a grin on his face. It was painful but he would deal, "your parents would be proud".

"And Yugito?" Naruto asked with a wince.

Rikiya just stared off into the sky, "she's all yours. May god help you".

Naruto chuckled at that last part but winced from the pain it caused, "I think we need a medic".

"...Your right we do," the Raikage said back simply.

"Winner: Namikaze Naruto!" Yue's voice echoed across the war torn terrain.

Rikiya then took notice of an approaching figure, "hey kid. Yugito-Chan at six o'clock".

Naruto turned slightly but was unable to resist as Yugito grabbed him and hugged tightly against her.

"You reckless idiot," she sobbed out.

"Sorry to worry you Yugito," Naruto whispered as she cried into his coat. "I love you and I didn't want to lose you. I know it's selfish but I can't help myself this time," she pulled him into a kiss before he could say anything else.

The Raikage watched from the side with a small smile, _'everything turned out alright after all. I was worried he wasn't the right one for her for a second there'._

* * *

"Those two are complete idiots," Samui said with a sigh as the battle drew to a close.

"After Naruto gets patched up I want to go drinking with the guy. Who's with me?" Omoi asked.

"Count me in," Shi said.

"Me too," Darui said.

**Author's Notes:**

I think six updates in three days is my limit...I'm going to go lie down now. -Groans-

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Cho Oodama Raikyu = Super Great Ball Lightning Ball  
Tsuin Oodama Raikyu = Twin Great Ball Lightning Ball  
Raiton no Yoroi = Lightning Release Armour  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique  
Yoko Rasengan = Demon Fox Spiralling Sphere  
Kyuubiko Imari = Nine-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball  
Taju Imari = Multiple Menacing Ball  
Fūinjutsu: Fūin Raimu = Sealing Technique: Seal Lightning Spear  
Raiton no Yoroi = Lightning Release Armour  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist  
Futon: Kaze Shunpo = Wind Release: Wind Flash Step  
Futon: Rasenkamikaze = Wind Release: Spiralling Divine Wind  
Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist  
Futon: Kaze Shunpo = Wind Release: Wind Flash Step

Please Read and Review.

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	28. Developments

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter28: Developments

**Wind Country: Kazekage Tower**

The desert was very inhospitable for many—including some that lived there—however even in one of its rampaging sandstorms Sabaku no Gaara found it rather peaceful. It had been nearly a year since the monster that had plagued him for so long—that wouldn't even let him sleep in peace was taken out of him.

Ichibi no Tanuki...Suna no Shukaku...

He had died back then...only to be brought back a moment later thanks to the person who cursed him to begin with. The irony wasn't lost on him; he hated her for what she did to him but...he did thank her for giving him a chance to live. The former elder of Suna: Chiyo was old and mostly senile however she had faith in the younger generation to make things right.

He was grateful for that but still...

Since then however the situation had changed greatly; one month after his death and subsequent resurrection his first _friend _had been used as a scapegoat by the village he had sworn to respect and was marked as a criminal for a time. Naturally when Gaara found out about this he was enraged and for the first time in three years considered going on a mass slaughter.

He immediately cut his alliance with Konoha on the grounds that he could no longer trust them or in their alliance itself. This was soon followed by a number of other nations cutting their ties with the Fire Country as a whole, most notably those being the Wave and Spring Countries. For five full months he hadn't heard so much as a whisper of Naruto's presence and many thought he had just run away but Gaara knew that wasn't the case.

Then just a little over two months ago he heard that he fought a member of Akatsuki on the outskirts of the Fire Country in search of the man who killed his teacher and godfather. Not just that but the blond had apparently killed the Akatsuki member _by himself_ without any help. At first nobody but him believed it but then just one month later Konoha was attacked by the Akatsuki _leader_ and all but completely destroyed.

And yet again Naruto emerged to face him...

From what he had gathered it was the largest scale battle since the Kyuubi attacked Konoha almost seventeen years ago. Where this...Pein had all but annihilated Konoha's forces Naruto single-handedly defeated him.

Gaara also took notice that he had a travelling companion of sorts...it took a bit of work but he found out that it was actually the Raikage's granddaughter. Then he received news of a tournament being held in Lightning Country for her hand in marriage which sparked even his own interest since it would be good to have a _new_ ally. He had thought about going himself if only to secure an alliance with another member of the five largest nations.

He scratched that idea after hearing that Namikaze Naruto had entered the tournament and wiped out everyone in his path. To even his amazement he managed to defeat the Raikage in a registered match and used _nine tails_ worth of power in a stable form. After hearing what had happened—Kankuro had been watching the battle—he began thinking that this was in fact a good thing since he didn't have to worry about his own political marriage.

_Knock Knock_

"Come in," he grunted as he raised his head from the pile of paperwork.

"You wanted to see us Gaara?" it was his sister Temari.

Gaara nodded and gestured towards the front of the desk, "yes I did". Kankuro and the young girl, Matsuri followed the blond in, "I have a mission for you".

**Wave Country: Nami Town / Marketplace**

A lot had happened over the week following the tournament's conclusion; Rikiya had taken it upon himself to teach his granddaughter the Raiton: Rairyuudan no Jutsu, Raiton no Yoroi and the Cho Oodama Raikyu. With Naruto's help she was able to use her sage mode and her Jinchuuriki form at the same time to enter Hybrid Mode. Following this the two Sennin had returned to Wave Country with Shi, Darui, Team Samui and even Yue (who actually turned out to be Shi's sister believe it or not).

Let's just say it was a very large celebration...

Naruto had explained his goals at this time, to rid the world of hatred and unite the Elemental Countries under one banner. To do it however he would need the cooperation of every nation which was going well so far since he had Lightning Country on his side plus he _was _the Daimyo of Wave Country. Yugito of course called him a complete idiot for even coming up with the plan but...well you get the picture.

An interesting thing happened on the third day (and kept happening every day since then); you see apparently since he was now known as the Daimyo of Wave his father's enemies now knew where to go to find him. The first attack was by a band of Iwa nins but...well they were cut down rather quickly by Naruto's superior speed.

The second day it was Mizu nins and even a few _Konoha_ nins. All of them met the same fate however and after the last one Naruto decided to continue Inari's training by teaching him the stages of the Rasengan. Yugito and the rest of the Kumo nins had been travelling between the two countries on business most of the time but Naruto was generally with Yugito thanks to his Hiraishin no Jutsu.

He also took up writing like his deceased teacher Jiraiya though he didn't write anything perverted in them. Yugito and Karui actually liked the book surprisingly though Omoi said it could do with a bit more action in it.

Things were about to change however...

* * *

Unnoticed by the citizens of the town a group of four clocked figures slipped into an alleyway and looked out at the main street where people were going about their daily business.

"Are you sure we can find him here?" Tsunade asked while trying to keep her face hidden in her hood.

"I am...unsure; my eyes are unable to ascertain his current location. Something appears to be slowing down the flow of my chakra," Neji replied.

"Sounds like a chakra restrictor seal only used on a larger scale instead of people. The Kages all use it on their mansions so no one can use chakra while inside other than them; it's handy...most of the time," the former Hokage responded again.

"I believe this 'seal' is over all city," the Hyuga stated.

Tsunade just chuckled at that, "this is an Island-Nation. It wouldn't surprise me if the seal covered the entire _country"._

"...That is a possibility," he admitted.

"Yosh, then we will just have to search without the use of chakra," Lee spoke.

"This island is massive; do you really think he's even here? I mean he's a Daimyo now right? Isn't there like a palace or something around?" Tenten asked.

Neji just shook him head, "this is Naruto we're talking about. Do you really think he'd go for something like that? It's highly unlikely; he'd want to live a relatively ordinary life and give whatever he can to his people".

"...I guess that's true," the former Hokage flinched slightly when he had said _'his'_ people.

"Hey is that him?" the green-clad nin asked as he pointed into the street. The other three turned and saw a figure in orange, black and red walking down the street with a large scroll on his back.

"It is him," Neji confirmed.

"Look at the way they're treating him; it's like he was they're hero or something," Tenten observed.

"...That's because he is; if it wasn't for him this country would still be under the oppressive rule of a man called Gato. He took down the apprentice of Momochi Zabuza in singles-combat after Sasuke was knocked out and convinced Zabuza to betray Gato," Tsunade said surprising them.

"I thought the Uchiha was the one who defeated Zabuza's apprentice," Neji said confused.

Tsunade just shook her head, "I discovered that Danzo falsified the reports to stop word from spreading that Naruto had saved a country".

They all remained silent at that until they heard the sound of barely controlled sniffs. They turned and looked into the street once more and saw a young girl—she couldn't have been more than five—crying at the entrance to one of the nearby shops. Naruto took notice of this as he walked and stopped upon seeing her. Without a word he approached the crying girl and crouched down so they were at eyelevel.

"Hey," his voice was soft as he cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong?" he asked her.

She wiped away a few tears but more just took their place, "I-I'm s-sorry I-I -sniff- g-got -sniff- my mom and I –sniff-".

Naruto smiled at her in understanding, "so you got separated from your mom huh?" Unable to utter a response the girl just nodded, "it's alright". He placed his hand on her head and closed his eyes, "Chakra Nami". A weak but very wide shockwave shot out from where he was and washed the entire town, "your mother is down the street outside of Kato Cavern looking for you. Do you know where it is?"

The girl's tears had stopped and she nodded with a smile, "y-yes I know it. Thank you Daimyo-sama".

"Don't mention it; I wouldn't be a very good leader if I didn't listen to the needs of my people now would I? Run along now; your mother is waiting," he said kindly.

She waved as she dashed towards where her mother was located; the people watching couldn't help but comment on how he managed to reassure a child with ease. Most of the girls around his age had hearts for eyes when they saw he was good with kids.

Lee on the other hand, "the countries flames of youth are burning brightly with him as its core".

Tsunade reluctantly agreed, "Yes...I know".

"They don't consider him their protector or even their lord...they appear to think of him as hope incarnate," Neji observed.

"...He was the same for us to remember?" Tenten asked them.

"Are you going to come out now or not...Konoha nins?" they all froze as Naruto turned towards where they were hiding. "I painted the Hokage monument in broad daylight and wasn't caught until I was done. So what makes you think you can _hide_ from me in my _hometown?"_ he asked them with what they thought was annoyance.

'_He found us? How?'_ Neji asked in thought as the four stepped out of the alleyway and into the street. Almost immediately they were surrounded by what appeared to be samurai dressed in very compact silver body armour.

"Stand down," Naruto ordered the samurai. "I will handle this; no offense commander but against a former Kage your samurai wouldn't stand a chance".

"Understood Daimyo-sama," the leader bowed his head as his men backed off. "They're fast little bugger; we couldn't catch them before they entered the town even with the help of your detection seals milord".

"Do not worry commander; I am not upset. Far from it actually; I knew they were here the moment they arrived on the island so it's alright," Naruto told him. His attention however quickly returned to the Konoha team, "state your business Konoha nins. This is a peaceful country and sanctuary; if you have come just to drag me back to Konoha again I _will_ kick your ass".

_Their peace is built on the sacrifices of the smaller countries; your peace is violence towards us._

He remembered the memory as plain as day and so he didn't want to take any chances with the Konoha nins who had come...most likely for him. It was like Akatsuki all over again only this time _he_ was the one that was outnumbered while he had the strength that surpassed their own instead of the other way around.

Finally Neji spoke up, "we've come to deliver a message to you from the new Hokage".

"Yeah Sakura right?" Naruto suggested surprising them. "Surprised? I certainly was when I heard she got the job," he chuckled slightly.

"I put her through Senjutsu training after I killed Danzo," Tsunade spoke up for the first time since they had revealed themselves. "It's a good thing too or Sasuke would have been Hokage for sure," she continued. "She challenged him for the position as Hokage and won when she scrabbled every nerve cluster in his body".

"Even with Sage Mode I doubt Sakura managed to beat him on her own; how did she really win?" Naruto asked as he shook his head. "I know Sakura's strong but even with a sage mode she would be about Kakashi's level of strength," he mused.

Tsunade nodded at that while the other three Konoha nins looked confused, "yes she did have help". She sighed, "Apparently Uchiha Itachi implanted something in her mind which completely nullifies Genjutsu. Even the Tsukuyomi is useless against her now," the remnants of Team Gai looked at her in surprise.

"...I see...that still doesn't explain why your here though," Naruto said knowing they were getting off topic.

Tsunade sighed before answering, "as we said before. We've come to deliver a message from Sakura...you are no longer marked as a Konoha nin or Nukenin. As far as Konoha's concerned you officially retired from Konoha's forces almost a year ago and so you can come and go as you please".

"...Well how very generous of you," Naruto's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Forgive me if I don't believe you_ Godaime-dodo _since the last time I was in Konoha I was thrown in a cell," the samurai never took their eyes off of the four as he spoke.

"Naru—Daimyo-sama that was entirely Danzo's fault; he had a Sharingan in his right eye and used it to control the Fire Daimyo's decisions concerning you," Neji said in defence.

"What? So the Sharingan can control people now? That's just great; what's next? Is it going to allow its users to take over the whole world now?" oh if he only knew. "And why the hell is Sasuke not in jail or something? From what I saw that day back during _your_ little civil war the guy was on _your enemy's _side".

Tenten looked nervous as she answered, "Well...you know how it is...he was sort of...given amnesty because he had the last Sharingan".

"...That's getting old," Naruto bit back the growl that almost escaped his throat. "Not that I care; Sasuke no longer concerns me, I have bigger problems than a spoilt child right now".

"Err...Daimyo-sama if you don't mind me interrupting there is a situation at the bridge to the mainland. The detection seals have identified three Suna nins crossing the bridge," the commander of the samurai reported.

"Suna nins...can you identify them?" Naruto asked turning his attention back to the man.

The commander nodded, "one appears to be a tall blond girl with a large battle fan, another carries a large collection of wrapped up puppets and the last is a young girl we were unable to identify".

"...Send some of your men to escort them to my home," Naruto gave the order and the samurai disappeared a moment later. He turned his gaze back to the Konoha team, _'if Gaara sent a team here then...this could work out to my advantage after all'._ He looked the four over for a few seconds before he asked, "why don't you join us for tonight and set off tomorrow morning?"

"...We accept...Daimyo-dono," Tsunade spoke unsure.

**Author's Notes:**

I'm sorry to inform you all that my updates will be slowed down considerably for awhile. I'll still be updating but not as frequently now; I made a very costly mistake a few days ago. I left all of my college work on a USB memory stick and left it in my coat. It's all gone; every last megabyte of it. So now I have two years worth of work to do in six months.

I'm forced to leave my job in order to keep up with the workload and I am simply running out of time for everything else including this. I hope you all understand and know that I'm not abandoning anything.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Raiton: Rairyuudan no Jutsu = Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Bullet Technique  
Raiton no Yoroi = Lightning Release Armour  
Cho Oodama Raikyu = Super Great Ball Lightning Ball  
Hiraishin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Technique  
Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere  
Chakra Nami = Chakra Wave

Please Read and Review.

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	29. Birth of the Alliance

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter29: Birth of the Alliance

**Wave Country: Daimyo Residence (Tazuna's House)**

The trip from Wind Country to Wave Country was rather uneventful for the Team Temari as they crossed Fire Country and Grass Country without incident. Once they got there however they were surprised to find that the bridge connecting the country to the mainland was named after guy that changed their brother and leader so much.

They had just cleared the bridge when they were met by _samurai_ of all things; they weren't expecting it to say the least. Samurai were rare outside of the Daimyo palaces of the Five Great Shinobi Nations and the distant Iron Country which was considered neutral ground. What's more was the fact that these samurai appeared to be the country's conventional military force.

The commander of the group led the Suna team to a beautiful lakeside house about three miles inland and passed the metropolis that was Nami Town. Temari had known that the town was the trade center of the Elemental Countries but she had never dreamed it would be so large. She estimated that in a few more years it would be large enough to be qualified as a city.

Upon entering the house she and her team were greeted to the large living room and the connecting kitchen. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise when she saw that sitting at the kitchen table was Senju Tsunade and the remnants Team Gai of Konoha.

"What is this? A party?" Kankuro asked when he saw them.

"We could say the same for you," Tsunade commented.

"We heard that Naruto ran this place so Gaara sent us," Temari stated clearly. "What the hell are you doing here though? Last I heard him and Konoha weren't on the best of terms; in fact I heard you tried to have him killed," she continued.

"That was Danzo's doing, not ours," Tenten defended.

"Oh stop that; Naruto's out at the moment since Yugito is supposed to be returning today so you'll have to wait until then," came a calm voice and the team turned to see a dark-haired woman coming down the stairs. "My name is Tsunami; will you be staying long?" she asked.

Temari nodded, "just a little while. We have some business with your Daimyo".

The woman smiled softly, "he should be back shortly so please be patient".

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"No".

"How about now?"

"No".

"...Now?"

"NO! Shut up already!" Karui yelled at the dark-skinned youth beside her.

"Don't be such a grouch Karui; I'm just a little bored here. Once we get to Nami Town the ladies will be all over me so I probably won't have the time to hang out with you," Omoi said with an almost lost look.

Karui snorted at that, "is that all you think about?"

"Yes," he answered immediately.

"You're an idiot," she said simply and kept walking.

"Oh please he doesn't hold a candle to Naruto's kind of idiocy and everyone knows it," Shi stated causing most of the group to chuckle.

"Hey now that's my fiancé you're talking about you know?" Yugito spoke with annoyance dripping into her words. "If you're going to make fun of him at least say it to his face," he continued as they walked.

"...With all due respect Yugito-sama if I had said it to his face he would have flattened me like a pancake," Shi said with a sweat drop. He suddenly noticed that she was look behind him instead of at him, "...he's behind me isn't he?" She nodded and he turned slowly, seeing Naruto walking alongside him, "err...hello Daimyo-sama...nice weather we're having?"

"...Rasenken," there was a resounding smack as Naruto 'lightly' tapped Shi on the back. He was blown forward and crashed into a tree upside down but unharmed, "now what have you learned?"

"To pay attention to my surroundings," the Kumo-nin replied as his eyes seemed to spin. "Why is the world spinning?" he asked.

"...I didn't hit you that hard," Naruto sighed and shook his head as Darui and Yue helped him up.

"It's one of those days," Samui sighed as she watched the scene.

Just then Yugito pulled her fiancé into one of 'their' kisses and he melted into it almost instantly.

After they pulled away Naruto heaved slightly, "well it's good to see you too".

"So you did miss me?" he grinned. "Sorry but Grandfather is intent on making me Raikage when he steps down so he wants me ready by then," she explained.

"I know but still...I wanted to spend a bit more time with you without the others around...if you know what I mean," he grinned suggestively.

"Pervert," she grunted.

"Ah but you love me," he shot back.

"As _heart-warming_ as this is can we please go now? I want to get there before nightfall," Samui coughed to get their attention.

"Ah right...I'm certainly meeting a lot of people today," Naruto sighed as he remembered he had 'guests'.

"What do you mean?" Yugito asked confused.

"A team from Suna and another from Konoha arrived about an hour ago. Their waiting at the house," he answered.

* * *

"I'm sorry but there must be something wrong with my ears; could you repeat that please?" Naruto asked the Suna team, his tone not believing.

"Kazekage-sama would like to request a formal alliance between Wind Country and Wave Country," Temari said again.

Naruto thought it over for a second, _'an alliance with Wind Country would decrease the chance of someone attacking Wave while I'm gone. No one in their right mind would want to face two of the major villages not to mention Konan pledged Ame's support as well...'_ After a few more seconds of thinking Naruto nodded, "very well. On behalf of the people of Wave I accept your offer of an alliance".

Temari nodded, "thank you Daimyo-sama. I'm sure Kazekage-sama will be pleased to hear of this".

Naruto grinned, "Oh if I know Gaara he probably had this planned from the moment I entered the Tournament of Thunder".

The two siblings looked sheepish at that, "probably," Kankuro shrugged.

"You do realise that this makes Wave Country the most important nation in the Elemental Countries right?" Yugito asked. "I mean with two of the major villages and one minor village providing support then this country is essentially the center of international power. Not to mention the fact that Wave is the center of trade in the Elemental Countries".

"Exactly," Naruto said and leaned back in his chair. "No country would dare attack us because if they did it would hurt their economy and I know no one wants to lose their money".

Tsunade and the rest of the Konoha nins watched all of this in silence.

Just then Tsunade spoke up, "I cannot offer an alliance at this time...Daimyo-dono. I'm afraid that falls under the jurisdiction of the Hokage alone".

Naruto shot her an amused look, "really? Not the council? I thought they were the true rulers of Konoha".

That little dig hit every one of the Konoha nins, "no Daimyo-dono. Not anymore; the council no longer has any say in how things are run both inside the village and without," Tsunade stated.

"...Right," Naruto nodded though part of him didn't believe it.

"Naruto there's something else we need to tell you; you have a right to know after all," Tsunade said almost sadly.

"You mean other than the fact I had the Kyuubi in my gut, my father was the man who sealed it and that I am the son of the Yondaime Hokage?" Naruto deadpanned. "What is it? It's not like I'm not used to people not telling me anything," he said impatiently surprising the Konoha nins.

"Kakashi is dead," Tsunade replied.

Naruto just stared, "what?"

"Kakashi was killed fighting off Root agents during the civil war," she continued.

"...I see," Naruto finally said as his fists clenched.

"I would like to bring up one other bit of news which I'm not sure you've heard," Temari stated.

"What is it?" asked the Kitsune-Sennin as he turned his attention back to the Suna team.

"Iwagakure no Sato was destroyed three days ago," Temari said shocking the group.

"Iwa is...are you sure?" Yugito asked knowing how powerful and dangerous that country had always been.

Kankuro was the one who answered, "Yeah; we heard about it from Gaara himself. The entire village is gone; we found a few survivors...mostly civilians".

Matsuri continued from there, "When we asked about it Gaara-sama said 'the snake has returned' and that you would understand what he meant".

"Snake? What does that mean?" Yugito asked and noticed that both Naruto and Tsunade had their fists clenched.

"It means," Naruto started. "That Orochimaru or someone close to him attacked Iwa and destroyed it. Whoever it is probably has control over Otokagure too; it would explain what an Oto nin was doing in the Tournament of Thunder back during the preliminaries".

"The guy is like a cockroach; he just won't die," Tsunade growled out angrily.

"Well then we'll just have to-" Naruto stopped midsentence and turned to the window.

"What is it?" Temari asked as he stood up from the table.

"My seals just detected a group of sixty Kiri nins entering the country from the mainland," he answered as the others stood as well.

"Kiri nins?" Neji asked.

"Nukenins more like it; they've been popping up trying to kill Naruto since the tournament," Yugito replied as she threw on her cloak. "This shouldn't take long," she stated as Naruto and the assembled Kumo nins took off away towards the town.

"Should we go with them?" Kankuro asked his team-mates.

Temari nodded, "they did accept the alliance". A moment later they had gone after the group.

"Godaime-sama; your orders?" Neji asked in a business tone.

"We can't interfere but we can watch," the former Hokage spoke and took off into the trees followed by the other Konoha nins.

**Wave Country: Nami Town**

The citizens of Wave had quickly become used to the many shinobi that threatened to kill anyone who stood in their way of attacking the Daimyo. Since the detection seals were placed all over the island-nation it was practically impossible to get within striking distance of any town before everyone had evacuated to the shelters by the samurai.

So when the seals detected the Kiri nukenin taskforce entering the country everyone from the towns were already in the shelters. Some shelters were below their shops and some were below their homes though the larger shelters were constructed inside a number of mountain complexes.

"Where is everybody?" one of the nukenins asked as the group of sixty made their way through the seemingly empty streets.

"Long gone from here," Naruto said simply as he appeared down the street.

The leader of the group sneered at him, "We have come for your head Namikaze".

Naruto sighed at that, "oh great. Not you losers again; can't you find something better to do than get your ass kicked by me?"

"Suiton: Ōuzu Matoi no Jutsu!"

"I guess not," the blond sighed again.

_Hybrid Mode Activated_

Yugito instantly appeared behind one of the nukenins and slammed him into the ground with unbelievable force. The advanced reflexes given to her by the Raiton no Yoroi allowed her to evade the strikes that were sent at her by the nearby nins that were quick to react to the new threat. With every hit she landed the nins were left as broken bodies in the street.

"Kaizuki," she whispered as her flame-covered arm sliced through a few more nukenins.

_You know the pain of loss and you are working for your justice just the same as I do for mine._

_People are driven to revenge in the name of justice and so it becomes a chain of hatred…_

"Futon: Rasenken," Naruto whispered as chakra and wind encased his body from head to toe. "Futon: Kaze Shunpo," he disappeared in a flash of yellow light a moment later.

What followed was a...one-sided battle...

"My god..." Tsunade could only watch as the nukenins were practically engulfed in a torrent of yellow and blue lights.

"I told you; these two are as strong as Gaara. Probably even stronger now," Kankuro told his sister.

After the battle (slaughter) had settled down Naruto called out over his shoulder at them, "are you sure you still want that alliance?"

"Are you kidding? I don't have any doubts about it now," Temari said with a grin as she looked over and saw that neither of them even had a scratch on them.

"Tsunade-sama," Neji whispered to her.

"I know...he's changed since his battle with Pein," Tsunade nodded.

"Well aren't you having fun," everyone froze at the voice.

Naruto turned swiftly towards where it originated and said one single frightening word, "you".

"Would you like to have a chat Namikaze Naruto? After all Tobi is such a good boy," waved Uchiha Madara.

**Author's Notes:**

Ultimate Forbidden Technique: Grand Evil Cliff-Hanger no Jutsu!

(Insert: Evil Laugh)

I have good news! Apparently I don't have to redo all of my work from the previous years but I _do_ have to catch up on this year's work. So instead of doing two years worth of work in six months I only have to catch up on six weeks of work before Christmas. Yay!

Anyway for starts the reviews I've received:

DASM = The only original jutsu I created is the Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu. I got Futon: Kazeryudan no Jutsu from Georsama; I also got Futon: Rasenkamikaze and Raseniki from DarthValgaav. As for Kaizuki, I got that from battousai222. You'll have to get permission from them to use their Jutsus. The rest of the stuff I use is all from the Naruto Wiki so nobody has them.

Waterblade = Sorry but no I won't be using your wind styled gentle fist attacks. Futon: Rasenken was designed to literally tear people to shreds with one hit; even if it misses it would cleave a person's head right off.

P.S. FOR THE LAST TIME THIS IS _NOT_ A NARUTO/HAREM!!!!!!

-Cough-

Anyway as for the story, as you can see I've used this chapter to explain a few things but I bet none of you saw the end come up like that did you? I know I'm evil but one of my reviewers commented that most author's who create long stories eventually run dry so I try to keep things interesting and everyone guessing.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Rasenken = Spiralling Fist  
Suiton: Ōuzu Matoi no Jutsu = Water Release: Great Whirlpool Enfolding Technique  
Raiton no Yoroi = Lightning Release Armour  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist  
Futon: Kaze Shunpo = Wind Release: Wind Flash Step

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later...


	30. The Encounter

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter30: The Encounter

**Wave Country: Nami Town**

Naruto shot forward immediately at speeds even ninja could reach and appeared on the roof where Madara sat with his legs over the edge. "Rasengan!" he called out as he buried the chakra ball into the masked-man's chest. It phased right through him however and hit the building itself and shattered it like glass.

"Straight to Rasengan, huh? You know that won't work on me," Madara spoke as he jumped away and landed on the next building over.

"Uchiha Madara," Naruto growled as his blue/crimson eyes glared up at him.

"Ah so you've heard of me? Well since Tobi is a good boy then I guess Madara will be the bad boy then huh?" the Uchiha said as his voice took on a darker tone.

"Did he just say Uchiha...Madara?" Tsunade asked barely above a whisper and looked up at the Akatsuki member.

"Ah so little Tsunade is here as well; long time no see," Madara waved cheerfully.

Before anyone could speak Yugito appeared behind him with the help of her Raiton no Yoroi and slashed at him with her flame-covered arm.

"Kaizuki," she whispered as her arm cut through with minimal effort.

"You're fast _Namikaze_ Yugito," Madara said mockingly seemingly unaffected by her hand which was now protruding from his chest. "None of your attacks will work on me however," he commented.

"We'll see," she said as she pulled away.

Naruto instantly appeared in front of him and slammed a monstrous punch into his mask-covered face, "Futon: Rasenken!" The Uchiha flew through the air before he crashed hard into a nearby building causing it to collapse from the impact. "So elemental-enhanced chakra can get through that jutsu your using to avoid our attacks; it looks like mom was right after all Madara," he said.

Madara rose from the ruins of the building a moment later with a large crack going down his mask. "You actually managed to land a blow on me...you truly are a demon of wind aren't you Namikaze?" Madara mocked with his Sharingan spinning widely.

"Guys hit him with everything you have!" Yugito shouted.

"You heard her!" Samui shouted as she and the rest of her team shot forward.

"Temari?" Kankuro asked as he took out his most powerful puppet.

"Let's go!" Temari said and took out her battle-fan.

Team Samui had already gotten within range and seemed to attack from all sides with their swords. Madara reacted quickly however and caught Omoi katana by the blade. The Uchiha then turned and delivered a swift kick to Karui's stomach sending her flying back. He then followed this up by shifting his weight to the side and burying his elbow into Omoi's midsection.

The Kumo nin's weapon dropped from his hand and Madara caught it in midair a moment later. Faster than the eye could see he had turned and parried Samui's strike before planting a monstrous kick to the team leader's chest. Everyone but Naruto and Yugito were shocked that he'd taken down three Jonin in a matter of seconds and didn't even look like he was trying.

"Hit him now!" Yugito ordered.

"Futon: Juha Sho!" Matsuri called out as she slashed her arm through the air and sent a wave of pure air at the Akatsuki agent.

"Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" Temari shouted as she attacked.

After releasing Sasori's body Kankuro quickly followed up with his own attack, "Akahigi: Kiki Sankaku!"

"Ranton: Reizā Sākasu!" Darui called out as he let loose a barrage of chakra beams.

Shi had immediately gone to heal the members of Team Samui as the four attacks struck where Madara was standing seemingly not caring about the danger. Dust was blown upwards as the attacks hit their marks and sent a wave of explosions across the street.

"Oni-Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" a ball of blue fire erupted from the smoke and came at them faster than any fireball they had ever seen.

"Futon: Rasen," Naruto whispered as he created a plate of wind chakra to deflect the attack.

Four more blue fireballs emerged from dust and struck the Suna team and Darui. They were smaller than the previous one however and appeared to explode upon contact with their targets.

"Oni-Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" the Suna team were left barely conscious on the ground from the attacks.

Madara suddenly appeared behind where Naruto was standing and threw out a punch that was aimed at his head. Naruto immediately evaded the strike and swung his arm back to catch his opponent off guard only for Madara to duck and land punch to his chest. The force behind the blow surprised the Kitsune-Sennin as he was sent sailing through the air.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," four clones appeared with him in midair and immediately started to charge his attacks. "Futon: Tsuin Rasenshuriken!" he called out as he threw the pair of chakra shurikens at where Madara stood.

The Akatsuki agent stood his ground as he saw the attacks approach while their disturbing bell-like screech filled the air. When they were close enough Madara raised his right arm and _knocked_ them to the side forcing them to detonate away from him.

'_He deflected them?! That can't be—they should have expanded if they were hit!'_ Naruto's eyes widened when he saw it.

"Raiton: Rairyudan no Jutsu!" Yugito called out as a dragon made of lightning hit where Madara was standing. "Did I get him?" her question was answered when Madara appeared behind. She turned swiftly as her arm ignited, "Kaizuki!"

"Raikiri," Madara spoke as his own hand was engulfed in a torrent of electricity.

The two clashed and appeared to be forcefully holding their ground as Naruto dashed at them with his sword now in hand. Madara broke away when Naruto was within range and swiped the weapon at him. Yugito pulled back too as Naruto put himself between the two of them allowing Yugito to summon her bow.

She back-flipped into the air over Naruto's head and fired off a flame-enhanced arrow, "Hi no Ya!"

It struck Madara dead-center in the chest and even managed to knock him back but he merely shrugged off the attack and everyone took notice that the wound was already healing. In response the Uchiha cocked his fist back and threw it out towards the two Sennin thus creating a large shockwave. The two barely held their ground as the shockwave almost blew them away.

When it settled down Madara was already in front of them and he drove his fist into Yugito's stomach. Just as she was about to be blown back however he grabbed her wrist and slammed her down into the ground sending dust into the air.

"Yugito!" Naruto called out upon seeing this only for seven blue fireballs to hit him and explode immediately draining his chakra.

_Hybrid Modes Deactivated_

"Raikiri," Madara whispered as he drove his lightning-covered arm through Naruto's chest. "This is an interesting jutsu; I copied it from Hatake Kakashi back when I was watching Pein attack Konoha. He really was a genius," he said as he removed him arm and slammed Naruto down into the ground.

'_Damn it; he annihilated me,'_ Naruto growled in thought as he tried to get back to his feet only to feel Madara clamp his foot down on his back to keep him pinned.

"You're orders Tsunade-sama?" Neji asked upon seeing how things were going.

"Uchiha Madara is a nukenin of Konoha; as such he is our responsibility to eliminate. Kill him now," Tsunade ordered and the Konoha nins jumped into action.

"Such pests," Madara sighed and—with his foot still firmly placed on Naruto's back—sent a massive shockwave at the four nins. They all crashed hard into the ruins of a nearby building, "it's all a part of the plan..." The Uchiha turned his attention to the blond beneath his feet and asked upon seeing his glare, "why so serious?"

"I'm gonna kill you," growled the Kitsune-Sennin.

"Hahahaha, I don't think it will be so easy. I have a plan too you know? I just want to talk for now," Madara explained unaffected by the threat.

"Talk?" Yugito asked as she struggled to look up.

"Yes...how did you make Nagato betray me? I'm curious as to how you managed to do something like that," Madara replied as he turned his attention back to Naruto.

The Kitsune-Sennin glared up at him, "that doesn't matter".

"True...but Naruto...in you I can see the Shodai Hokage; the way you act and the way you talk. You carry the Will of Fire and with it you have been chosen by fate," Madara continued.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto growled at him.

"Someday you will fight Sasuke; or rather I will make you fight Sasuke. The fated battle between your Will of Fire and his Will of Hatred has been a long time coming. I will use Sasuke to make people acknowledge the Uchiha clan just like I used Nagato to draw you out of hiding. Then and only then will peace be attained," Madara explained.

"Peace," Naruto spat. "What the hell are you talking about?!" he asked again.

"Ah now we get to the heart of the matter; let me tell you about my 'Moon Eye Plan'. Everything will become clear to you once I have. Everything will become one with me; it will be a perfect union and I will finally be complete," Madara began.

"What the hell does that mean?" Yugito growled as she managed to force herself onto the knees.

"At the dawn of the Shinobi World the Rikudō-Sennin became known as a god among Shinobi. The Moon's Eye Plan is connected to what made him become worshiped as a god; you see he saved the world from a monster. A monster which was a fusion of all of the Biju of today known as a Juubi," the Akatsuki agent explained shocking the various ninja in the area.

"There's a Biju with more tails than Kyuubi?!" Yugito half-shouted in disbelief.

Madara nodded at that, "like I said it is a fusion of all of the Biju. The other nine beasts are nothing more than the stripped down versions of the Juubi's chakra and the Rikudō-Sennin was the one who divide the Juubi's chakra. In order to protect the world from the demon, the Rikudō-Sennin created a new jutsu which is still in use today as the Jinchuuriki no Jutsu. The jutsu which can seal away a Biju into a child," Madara explained again shocking everyone.

"H-he-" Tsunade couldn't seem to think about what she'd heard.

"Rikudō-Sennin sealed the demon in himself and became the first Jinchuuriki in order to stop the monster. He saved the world from the Juubi and became worshiped as a god, but the demon's chakra was too powerful and deadly. When he discovered that the seal would break once he died he knew it would wreak havoc on the world again. On his deathbed he divided the Juubi into the Biju of today and sealed the Juubi's body and soul into the sky. Naruto...you should know what jutsu he used since Nagato used the same thing on you only on a much smaller scale," Madara said.

Naruto looked knew what he was referring to, "you mean that 'moon' that Nagato sealed me in when I used six tails?"

Madara nodded knowingly, "it is called Chibaku Tensei and the moon in the sky _is _a Chibaku Tensei constructed by the Rikudō-Sennin to imprison the Juubi forever. The Rikudō-Sennin used the Juubi's own power to defeat it and it still remains trapped until this very day".

"That still doesn't explain what you want exactly!" Naruto growled as he tried to get up again.

"What I want? I want to revive the Juubi and become its Jinchuuriki. That's what I want; with its power I will be able to completely recover from the damage I sustained at the hands of Senju Hashirama at the Valley of the End. With its power I will be able to accomplish my 'Moon Eye Plan,'" Madara explained.

"And what is that exactly?" Yugito asked as she sent him a glare.

"Mugen Tsukuyomi will allow me to project a Genjutsu onto the moon itself! In doing so I will be able to cast an illusion over everyone on earth; I will control everyone with my Genjutsu and the world will finally become one. A world without ill will or strife; everything will become one with me. Everything will become united; _that_ is my 'Moon's Eye Plan' and that is the peace I seek," Madara declared.

"Unite the world? Your _peace_ is nothing but an illusion! I won't allow you to create a world without dreams! You just want the world for yourself!" Naruto yelled up at him.

"Perhaps I should take you now; you could prove difficult later on," Madara chuckled as his hand became encased in lightning.

"Naruto!" Yugito shouted as she saw the masked-man go in for the finishing blow.

Naruto's body erupted into a column of crimson light forcing Madara to back off. The column soon dissipated however leaving behind a four-tailed chakra fox standing on two legs glaring at him.

"**How about I show you exactly where you can put that plan of yours?!" **Naruto bellowed at him.

"Oh dear, I think I'd prefer not to fight a high-level Jinchuuriki," the Uchiha muttered.

"**The how about two of us?"** Yugito asked as she was encased in purple flames though it didn't expand to its fullest form. She resembled a human-sized flame-covered chakra cat with two tails. She instantly appeared in front of him and landed a seemingly invisible punch to the Uchiha's face.

"Ouch; that hurt you know?" Madara groaned as he stood seemingly unharmed. "Oh don't give me that look you two," he said upon seeing the glares the two Sennin were sending. "Like I said before I'm not here to fight so I shall take my leave," he bowed mockingly and chuckled. "Since you clearly won't hand yourselves over to me willingly consider this a declaration of war. The Fourth Great Shinobi War to be exact," he stated clearly.

"A...war?" Tsunade said as she managed to get to her feet.

"Of course; I may be in a weakened state but I do have six of the nine Biju. They can be extremely useful tools for me," Madara replied.

"**You won't get away with any of this Madara," **Naruto growled at him.

"Next time we meet, it will be on the battlefield," Madara told them as his mask began to spin. "Know this Sennin, I _will _be coming after you," a moment later he was gone.

The street descended into silence after he had gone...

"Raikage-sama should be informed of this," Samui said as she shook her head.

"Gaara should as well," Kankuro sighed.

"Was that really Uchiha Madara?" Tsunade asked as the Konoha nins recovered too.

Naruto nodded as the two Sennin powered down, "yes it was. He's the one responsible for summoning Kyuubi no Kitsune to attack Whirlpool Country and Fire Country nearly seventeen years ago".

"My god," Tsunade shuddered from thoughts.

"What do we do now?" Yugito asked

"These nukenins were from Kiri; I can't help but think that Madara's connected to them somehow...are you up for another trip Yugito?" Naruto asked over his shoulder.

The Neko-Sennin nodded at that, "where are we going?"

"Spring Country," he answered. "I need to pay an old friend a visit".

**Author's Notes:**

Yes I am afraid the gang did get their asses royally kicked in this chapter but then again Madara _is_ the main villain of Naruto so naturally he has to be insanely strong. As you can see only Naruto and Yugito are anywhere near his level now and even they had to resort to their Biju's chakra to fight him off. As for the war, well that is what's happening with current events in the Manga so I made it work for this story also.

The Trip to Snow Arc starts now and I'm sure you will enjoy it and the surprises that go with it.

(Insert: Evil Laugh)

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Raiton no Yoroi = Lightning Release Armour  
Hiraishin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Technique  
Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist  
Futon: Juha Sho = Wind Release: Beast Wave Blast  
Kamaitachi no Jutsu = Sickle Weasel Technique  
Akahigi: Kiki Sankaku = Red Secret Technique: Machinery Triangles  
Ranton: Reizā Sākasu = Storm Release: Encouraging Crushing Chain Tormenting Principle  
Oni-Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu = Demon Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique  
Futon: Rasen = Wind Release: Spiral  
Oni-Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu = Demon Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique  
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique  
Futon: Tsuin Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Twin Spiralling Shuriken  
Raiton: Rairyudan no Jutsu = Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Technique  
Kaizuki = Fire Blade  
Raikiri = Lightning Blad  
Hi no Ya = Arrow of Fire  
Rikudō-Sennin = Sage of Six Paths  
Jinchuuriki no Jutsu = Human Sacrifice Technique  
Chibaku Tensei = Bursting Earth Celestial Body  
Mugen Tsukuyomi = Infinite Moon Reader

Please Read and Review.

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	31. Echoing Sound

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter31: The Echoing Sound

**Spring Country: Kazahana Palace**

"Why are we here again?" Darui asked as the four nins approached the mountain which surrounded the Kazahana Palace.

"Because I need to speak with the Spring Daimyo," Naruto answered over his shoulder. "Spring Country ninja use something called Chakra Armour which would be an extremely useful tool for alliance ninja and samurai. _Especially _against Madara's Biju," he explained.

A month had passed since Madara's little incursion into Wave Country; surprisingly there was no serious damage and the citizens could go about their business again like nothing happened. The political situation however...that was different. The moment Madara had declared war Ame spies in Kiri had relayed a message to Konan who then forwarded it to Naruto.

Madara had taken over Kirigakure no Sato and had forced the Godaime Mizukage into hiding. With Iwa destroyed by Oto the Earth Country had been forced to surrender and become a part of Sound Country. With the increase of land and—though they were strong—with the low number of military forces in the alliance they all knew they would be hard-pressed to stop Madara and Oto once and for all. They needed allies and quickly if they were to survive...that brings us to now.

A few days after Madara's incursion Gaara had assigned Temari to Wave Country as Suna's official ambassador knowing full well that Rikiya had already done the same things with Yugito for Kumo. Though Darui was assigned as Yugito's bodyguard Temari didn't get one from Gaara since he didn't really have anyone to spare at the moment.

The Konoha nins had returned to home save for Tsunade, she actually wanted to stay in Wave and Naruto agreed if only for the simple fact that the hospital could do with her as its head. What wasn't said however was the fact that Naruto remembered his talk with Nagato after their battle and knew he had to let his grudge with certain parts of Konoha go.

As for Yugito well...she and Naruto got married in Wave Country with the Raikage, Kirabi, Team Samui, Tsunade, Inari, Tsunami, Tazuna, Darui, Shi, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro and Matsuri as witnesses.

Then there was Naruto...

"I understand that Taiken-sama but still..." Darui trailed off.

Taiken...a fitting title given to the one that the alliance country leaders had designated as the commander of the Elemental Alliance's combined military forces.

"Speak your mind," Naruto said as he continued at his current pace.

"Well...if you don't mind me asking Taiken-sama what's so important about this country anyways? I mean it has almost no strategic value whatsoever," Darui asked in confusion.

Naruto shook his head, "this is the most technologically advanced country in the entire Elemental Countries and we could do with all the allies we can get these days".

"No kidding," Yugito grunted as she bit back a sneer. Their battle with Madara still fresh in her mind; true they may have been able to force him to withdraw but everyone could tell he was playing with them for most of the fight until they released their Biju's powers. "The situation just gets worse and worse with each passing day," she whispered though they all heard her.

"Have some faith Yugito, everything will work out in the end," Naruto sent her a reassuring smile.

"How can you know that?" asked the Neko-Sennin.

Naruto just chuckled, "because I believe that the day will come when people truly understand each other".

"...You're a fool," she said and shook her head.

He chuckled at that, "I'm a fool who will bring peace to this world".

"There's no room for peace in the middle of a war," Temari stated clearly.

The Kitsune-Sennin raised an eyebrow at her statement, "war brings death to both sides. I will find a way to stop Madara; I cannot allow his twisted sense of peace plunge this world into a never-ending nightmare".

"We're with you," Yugito said with a grin. "This is bigger than us we know but...we won't go quietly like he wants us too," she nodded at the last part.

"Damn straight," Temari nodded in agreement.

"Then let's hurry to the palace and get on with it," Naruto said with a grin.

There was the sudden sound of an echoing explosion from in front of them.

"What was that?" Temari inquired as she took out her battle fan.

"...Trouble," Naruto answered as he narrowed his eyes. "Let's go," they took off at high speed a moment later.

_Hybrid Mode Activated_

* * *

Explosions riddle the Kazahana Palace as Oto nins swarmed in like flies; there were a hundred and twenty of them in all and they all appeared to have Curse Seals augmenting them. Haru nins tried in vain to stop the assault but their numbers were just too few to hold against such a force. At the highest tower overlooking the battle the Spring Daimyo: Kazahana Koyuki felt every explosion shake the very earth itself.

She had contemplated surrendering to them should the palace fall but knew it would be enough when she first lay eyes on the man who was leading this army. He looked like a cross between a human and a snake with scales and everything. The look in his eyes spoke for him; he wanted to destroy everything in his path, not capture it.

He didn't even care about the army he was leading...

Without reinforcements from Harugakure she knew the palace would surely be lost this day.

Fortunately there was a beacon of hope which appeared at the last possible moment...

"Burn it to the ground! Take whatever you please just make sure that the lovely princess is brought to me!" Kabutomaru shouted out orders to his army as they attack. _'Kukukuku soon my ascension will be complete and then...I shall become the true master of this world,'_ his chuckle was reminiscent of a former Hebi-Sennin.

"We're ready to break down the main gates Otokage-sama," his second in command reported.

"Knock them down," Kabutomaru bellowed and the Oto nin nodded.

"Artillery!" yelled the second in command.

Several Oto nins appeared to be rolling along what looked like a long barrel of metal on wheels, they stopped and turned the open point of it towards the gates to the palace. These were Oto's newly developed weapons and were nearing the completion stage when Orochimaru had been assassinated by Sasuke. In other words these weapons were mobile cannons which used gunpowder to launch a 'cannonball' at a target at extreme velocity.

Spring Country had been developing that technology too for use by their naval forces since they were an island nation so far away from the mainland. The Otokage couldn't allow this and so had come personally to ensure that _he_ had the edge in technology for his military forces.

It was going so well too...

"Fire!" the second in command shouted and the cannons fired. The cannonballs shattered the main gates of the palace like they were made of paper and _kept going._ The entire palace shook under the impact and Kabutomaru could see that Koyuki on the tower's balcony shaking from the power behind the weapon.

"Move in!" Kabutomaru ordered as he motioned for his forces to proceed. _'They put up a fight but Iwa was a major shinobi village and even they fell against me'._

"Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" a sudden gust of wind struck the front row of the attacking force.

'_What?!'_ Kabutomaru thought in surprise.

"Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu!" it was soon followed by a massive tornado striking the group and tearing a good fifteen of them apart.

"Ranton: Reizā Sākasu!" explosions littered the Oto nins formation as beams of light slammed down on where they stood.

"Katon: Cho Dai Kaizuki!" a blade of pure fire slashed along the ground, practically carving out the earth itself and wiped across the land. The attack was so long that it would have been able to slice a mountain in two if its user wanted too so naturally no one could survive taking a direct hit from it and even if some Oto nins dodged it they had third degree burns left on their bodies.

"What is this?" Kabutomaru growled with narrowed eyes.

"That would be us," Naruto answered as the dust settled allowing Team Alliance to be clearly seen.

"Naruto-kun...Kukukuku it's been a long time," the Otokage chuckled.

Naruto's hybrid eyes glared at him, "your more morbid then ever Kabuto. What? Finally had enough of being Orochimaru's fuck hole?"

Kabutomaru sneered at him, "Your petty insults will not work on me _Namikaze_. I have absorbed Orochimaru's body; now I am the master and I answer to no one".

"Do you really think you can take me Teme?" Naruto as his body was encased in spinning wind. "Futon: Rasenken," he whispered.

"...Not today...but soon Naruto-kun," the Otokage disappeared into the earth itself was simply gone.

"Chakra Nami," Naruto released the massive but weak shockwave across the area. He shook his head as he noticed the Oto nins were gone too, "they're gone".

_Hybrid Mode Deactivated_

The team sighed and turned as they saw Koyuki approach with a few of the remaining Haru nins.

"N-Naruto?" Koyuki half-asked unable to believe he had returned.

"Yo princess; long time no see," Naruto waved back.

She suddenly ran up to him and pulled him into a hug all the while crying freely, "y-your really here".

"Erm...yeah," he said in understanding. After all that had happened in Konoha, Kumo, Ame and now this it was no surprise that the Spring Daimyo had reached her limit.

Yugito on the other hand had gotten a little uncomfortable, "hey lady do you mind letting go of my husband?"

Koyuki looked at her for a moment before pulling away, "husband?" She raised an eyebrow at the Kitsune-Sennin, "so you finally got over that stupid crush on Sakura huh?"

"Moved on is more like it," Naruto responded.

"Koyuki nodded, "come inside and we can discuss matters there".

* * *

"Thank you for the assist; were it not for you the palace would have surely fallen. May I ask why you are here though?" Koyuki asked in a business tone.

"I'm sure you've heard about the recently formed Elemental Alliance correct?" Naruto spoke from across the table.

Koyuki nodded at that, "there isn't a single nation that hasn't. Wind, Wave, Lightning and Rain Countries have all effectively merged creating a force much large than any single country could ever hope to possess".

Naruto nodded, "well we were wondering if Spring Country was interested in joining the alliance".

Koyuki stared at him for a few second before she sighed, "I...you've caught me at a bad time Naruto". At his confused gaze she continued, "We've been having some problems with Sound Country for the better part of a month now. I'm sure you know that they've annihilated Iwa and assimilated Earth Country. They burned the entire village to the ground and slaughtered anyone in their way with their new weapons".

"Yeah we saw them; they blew through your main gates like they weren't even there," Yugito said as she remembered the 'cannons' as she'd heard the nins refer to them as.

"As you know Spring Country is an island-nation much like Wave Country but unlike Wave Country we are so far from the mainland that direct travel is almost impossible. Only ships are capable of travelling between our country and the mainland. Because of that fact our shinobi village, Harugakure no Sato decided to create a weapon that was best suited for ship-to-ship engagements".

"Cannons," Temari deduced.

Koyuki nodded at that, "sadly Oto managed to construct one first and since they knew the kind of power they possessed they couldn't stand the thought of another country having that kind of power".

"So they've been attacking you because you also have the advantage of these 'cannons'," Yugito mused.

Again Koyuki nodded, "they managed to make them capable of being used on land as well as at sea. If they aren't stopped soon then I'm afraid my country will be forced to act. Already I have been getting reports from the leader of Harugakure no Sato saying that he wishes to go to war with the Sound Country because of their aggressive actions".

The room fell silent at that...

'_If Spring Country and Sound Country are plunged into war then it could destabilise the entire region...I can't allow that,'_ Naruto thought bitterly. He spoke up once again a moment later, "Kabuto is a threat to not only you but every nation in the Elemental Countries. We know that he is on the island, probably waiting for reinforcements from the mainland. If we locate him and launch a pre-emptive strike we could stop this war before it starts".

"How would we do that? He could be anywhere," Temari asked.

"We'll find him," Naruto said in finality.

Koyuki stared at him before nodding, "very well. Inform me when you locate the enemy base and we will proceed from there".

"We'll do that," Naruto nodded.

**Author's Notes:**

Well here's the opening act of the new arc; I hope you liked it. -Groans-

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Taiken = Supreme Leader  
Kamaitachi no Jutsu = Sickle Weasel Technique  
Ranton: Reizā Sākasu = Storm Release: Encouraging Crushing Chain Tormenting Principle  
Katon: Cho Dai Kaizuki = Fire Release: Super Big Fire Blade  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later...


	32. Return of the Fire Cat

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter32: Return of the Fire Cat

**Spring Country: Cliff above Oto Port**

"Found them," Yugito whispered as both she and Darui lay on the edge of the cliff overlooking Oto port as it had been dubbed. Numerous Oto nin were stepping off of the docked ships and they could see another twenty or so personnel carriers approaching from the ocean.

"We should contact Taiken-sama and Haru," the dark-skinned Kumo nin suggested since they had split up to cover more ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Rei no Nekomata," she whispered and the horse-sized one-tailed cat appeared beside her.

"What do you need of me Yugito-dono?" Rei bowed respectively.

Yugito responded immediately, "I need you to send a message to Naruto saying we've found the enemy harbour along with our current location".

Rei nodded, "is that all?"

"He should be able to handle the rest now go," she finished and the cat nodded before taking off.

"You're a very interesting person Yugito-Chan," the two Kumo nins spun round and quickly dodged as four green snakes jumped at them.

"You," Yugito growled upon seeing the Otokage.

Kabutomaru just smirked at her, "I could almost become amused at the situation. You and your little alliance you and Naruto-kun have put together are quite an interesting bunch. It's such a shame that you now have become a thorn in my side. I had hoped that if I left your little alliance alone you would stay out of my business but I guess I was wrong".

"Damn right you were wrong you snake freak; this country is now a part of the alliance. Technically you're the aggressors here," she shot at him.

The Otokage let his smirk widen into a grin, "come on little kitten; let's play a little".

_Hybrid Mode Activated_

"Rai Bunshin no Jutsu," Yugito whispered as her eyes took on a mix between blue and purple.

Yugito hadn't wasted another second; while Darui moved to engage the Oto nins she made one swift motion to settle her hands into a seal. Seven lightning clones instantly appeared at her side and charged towards the Otokage. They were destroyed however by seven figures erupting from the ground; the newcomers were instantly shocked by the Jutsu's electrical side affect and dropped to the floor unmoving.

"Shikon no Jutsu," Kabutomaru said after her made the appropriate hand-seals and the seven figures stood up once more. "Allow me into introduce you to my more...inventive jutsu," he sneered.

"Sick is more like it," she snarled in disgust at seeing the technique.

"Attack," the Otokage commanded and the undead warriors charged at their target.

Knowing that lightning attacks were ineffective against this specific enemy she fell back on her primary elemental affinity. She held out her arm in front of her and channelled an enormous amount of fire elemental chakra to her hand. Her hand was encased in a sheet of flames in seconds before it expanded out towards the approaching undead in a massive stream far larger than she normally did.

She knew it was a bit overkill but against this specific enemy she couldn't afford to hold back...

"Katon: Cho Dai Kaizuki!" she called out as the mile long blade of fire sliced through the undead warriors in a matter of second and burned their remains into nothingness. However before she could react snakes had burst from the ground intent on grabbing and killing her,_ 'damn it'._

"Sen'ei Tajashu," Kabutomaru said as the snakes grabbed her and held her in midair.

'_Damn it he got me,'_ she thought in panic as she struggled against the snakes that held her.

"It's such a pity that someone with such talent dares to oppose me," Kabutomaru spoke in mock sadness.

"Go fuck yourself," Yugito growled at him. Suddenly electricity pulsed across her body shocking the snakes that held her, "Chidori Nagashi". She dropped the ground a moment later and lunged forward intent on taking Kabutomaru's head right off, "Kaizuki!"

He narrowly dodged her strike all the while thinking,_ 'impressive'._

There was a flash of light as her bow appeared in her hand and she fired off a salvo of fire arrows, "Hi no Ya!"

Kabutomaru quickly drew some blood and after making several hand-seals slammed his hand down on the ground. "Kuchiyose: Rashomon," he whispered as a ten-foot tall demonic gate erupted from the ground between him and his opponent. There were several echoing thuds as the arrows exploded upon contact with the seemingly unmovable defence, _'kukukukuku you'll have to do better than that little kitten'._

"Raiton no Yoroi," he heard the whisper and was surprised when he saw the demonic gate was instantly destroyed by an angry Yugito covered in lightning. "Ready for round two snake?" she snarled and shot forward at blinding speeds.

Kabutomaru could do nothing as he was hit by Yugito's fast and extremely powerful fist. He was blown backwards by the force of the hit and crashed through a moss-covered boulder seemingly going right through it. Yugito was upon him again and swung her leg down to finish the job when Kabutomaru jumped away to allow himself the chance to rebirth himself from his mouth. (You know the sick thing Orochimaru does where a new body comes out of his mouth).

"That jutsu of yours is very dangerous...I'll have to learn it later," said the Otokage as he wiped the slime off his glasses.

"I'm not going to let that happen," Yugito said simply and a moment later she disappeared in a burst of speed. Kabutomaru barely had time to turn when Yugito appeared beside him and slashed with that fire blade of hers, "Kaizuki".

"Chakra no Mesu," the Otokage whispered and _grabbed _her arm which was covered in flames. His hand glowed blue and he smirked again, "that's an interesting jutsu too...is it your own?" Yugito pulled away but not before Kabutomaru could strike at her chest with his chakra covered hands, "a pity really".

Yugito fell to the ground and coughed up blood on the grass, "how did you-".

"That jutsu of yours creates an electrical field around your body protecting you from attack while adding to your natural strength. However I was able to deduce that precise chakra control could pierce that defence and land a hit on you directly. A former medical-nin like myself has more than enough chakra control to bypass that barrier of yours," Kabutomaru explained with a sneer. "Now do you see how foolish it was to oppose me?"

"Fuck...you," she gasped as her eyes began to settle into a permanent shade of purple.

"...You first," the Otokage sneered again and sent his snakes to finish the job. "Sen'eijashu," he whispered as the snakes drew near their target.

Yugito's eyes widened upon seeing the snakes approach, _'damn it!!!'_ Her form exploded into a pillar of purple flames instantly incinerating the snakes and forcing Kabutomaru to jump away.

'_Oh dear,'_ he frowned upon seeing Yugito now standing on all fours as a human-sized two-tailed chakra-fire cat.

"**How would you like to start round three?"** she growled at him with a smirk.

The Otokage didn't answer, instead he opened his mouth and expelled a wave of snakes at her, "Mandara no Jin".

"**Hi Nami," **Yugito growled as she slashed with her arm and released a wave of flames which incinerated the snakes.

'_This girl...'_ Kabutomaru thought angrily as he jumped back out of the range of her attacks.

Suddenly a ball of crimson flames formed in front of her mouth and she swallowed it a moment later. She settled down on all fours again as her mouth glowed white before she expelled the superheated ball of fire at her target. It changed into a stream of fire which Kabutomaru barely managed to dodge and even then he was forced to rebirth himself again.

"**Nekomata Endan,"** Yugito whispered once the blast died down.

"I've had enough of this farce," the Otokage sneered at her before he started forming hand-seals.

In response to this action Yugito let the flames around her expand and soon she was completely transformed into her Biju standing at over fifty feet tall.

"Oto nins! To me!" Kabutomaru called and instantly four Oto shinobi appeared at his side. He finished his hand-seals and whispered three very frightening words, "Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei".

Almost instantly the four Oto nins were pulled into the ground by what looked like hands; a moment later however the four coffins with the roman numerals for 1, 2, 3 and 4 plated on them appeared from the ground.

"**You monster,"** the large fire cat growled at him upon seeing the coffins.

The coffins opened one after the other revealing four figures that she knew very well from the history books she had read. They were the Shodai, Nidaime, Sandaime and Yondaime Hokages: Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Namikaze Minato.

"Where are we?" the Shodai asked but could nothing as Kabutomaru stabbed a kunai into the back of his head followed by the others.

"That hurt you little brat," Tobirama yelled at him and tried to turn but found that his body wasn't responding.

"Well this is new...I never expected to be let out of the Shinigami's stomach...it feels strange," Minato mused and looked up at the giant fire cat. "Nice kitty".

"**...Damn you really do look like Naruto," **the cat said surprising the third and fourth Hokages.

"You know Naruto?" Hiruzen asked.

"Kill her now!" Kabutomaru interfered and the four Hokages reluctantly were forced to obey.

"Suiton: Suishoha," the Nidaime was forced to say as he unleashed a spiralling wave of water from the very air itself.

'_**Damn it he must know that I'm weak against water ninjutsu while in this form,'**_Yugito growled in thought as the wave struck her form. Her flames were gone in moments leaving her crouched on one knee breathing irregularly.

"It's a girl? Holy shit she's a Jinchuuriki," Tobirama said surprised.

"Kill her now!" Kabutomaru shouted again and the four were forced to attack again.

"Damn it this guy is really starting to annoy me," Tobirama grumbled as he tried to resist the Oto nin's control.

"Even though our souls are now tied to the Shinigami we still don't have the control to use these resurrected bodies," Minato growled as he tried to stop himself.

Just as the four Hokages got within range to deal the killing blow there was a flash of yellow and red hitting their vision. The four were suddenly blown backwards at high speeds before they managed to recover and get a look at the newcomer.

Hiruzen and Minato almost had a heart attack...

There standing between the four Hokages and Yugito was a man who looked eerily similar to the Yondaime Hokage.

"N-Naruto?" Hiruzen asked when he saw the whisker marks on the Kitsune-Sennin's face.

Naruto looked over his shoulder and asked calmly, "are you alright Yugito? Darui?"

The two Kumo nins nodded, "thanks for the save Naruto," Yugito sighed as she stood once more.

"Naruto?" Minato asked not sure what to say.

"Yo dad; long time no see," Naruto waved with a grin and saw the Sandaime stiffen. "Don't worry old man I know why you gave me the name Uzumaki instead of Namikaze so you don't have to explain anything," Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief at that.

"Who's the kid?" Tobirama asked confused.

"He's...my son," Minato answered trying to remain calm.

"Kukukuku isn't this ironic Naruto-kun? Your _loving _father will be the one who kills you; the man who placed that burden on you will be the one who kills you," the Otokage chuckled.

"Shut your mouth snake; you will be the only one who dies today, _and that's a promise_," Naruto growled back.

Yugito clenched her fists at the declaration, "I'll handle Kabuto. Do you think you can hold off the Hokages until I'm finished?"

Naruto glanced at her worriedly for a second, "are you sure? You must be exhausted after using your Demon Cat Mode".

Yugito just nodded, "you're the only one here at full strength and you're up against four of the Hokages. I'll be fine; you just worry about them".

"Err...who is she Naruto?" Hiruzen asked looking back between the two Sennin.

"My wife," Naruto answered simply surprising the third and fourth Hokages.

"Where's Temari-san?" Darui asked.

"She's helping to coordinate Haru's forces," Naruto answered as he closed his eyes followed soon by Yugito doing the same.

_Hybrid Mode Activated_

"Let's go wild."

**Author's Notes:**

I bet none of you were expecting me to pull this huh? Well I hope this makes up for any disappointment the last chapter brought but in all honesty I just wanted the last chapter out of the way. All thing considered, I preferred to dedicate this chapter mostly too Yugito instead of Naruto. Naruto has been doing most of the fighting in this fic but that's only because he's the _main_ character (as it _should_ be).

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Taiken = Supreme Leader  
Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Summoning Technique  
Rai Bunshin no Jutsu = Lightning Clone Technique  
Shikon no Jutsu = Dead Soul Technique  
Katon: Cho Dai Kaizuki = Fire Release: Super Big Fire Blade  
Sen'ei Tajashu = Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands  
Chidori Nagashi = Thousand Birds Current  
Kaizuki = Fire Blade  
Hi no Ya = Arrow of Fire  
Kuchiyose: Rashomon = Summoning: Rashomon  
Chakra no Mesu = Chakra Scalpel  
Sen'eijashu = Hidden Shadow Snake Hands  
Mandara no Jin = Myriad Snake Net Formation  
Hi Nami = Fire Wave  
Nekomata Endan = Forked Cat Flame Bullet  
Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei = Summoning Impure World Resurrection  
Suiton: Suishoha = Water Release: Water Shockwave

Please Read and Review.

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	33. Fall of the Snake

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter33: Fall of the Snake

**Spring Country: Cliff above Oto Port**

"Futon: Rasenken, Futon: Kaze Shunpo," there was a streak of yellow and crimson light and the four Hokages suddenly found themselves thrown into the side of the cliff wall with several deafening impacts.

"Ow," Tobirama grunted as he climbed out of the little crater he had made in the wall. His right arm seemed to have been sliced right off at the shoulder though it appeared to be _regenerating._

"That wasn't my Hiraishin no Jutsu," Minato said and shook his head to clear the dizziness.

"I call it Futon: Kaze Shunpo; it's a jutsu I developed myself to surpass your Hiraishin no Jutsu though it doesn't have the sheer range of yours," Naruto stated clearly as wind seemed to spin around him.

"Suiton: Suishoha!" the Nidaime Hokage suddenly put his hands out in front of him and water liquefied in the air itself. It spiralled in place for a moment before the massive wave of water shot out towards where Naruto stood.

Naruto only needed one second to see the danger and immediately began thinking about the jutsu currently in his arsenal. Most would take too long to charge, especially the Jutsus he had created. That left the jutsu he'd been learning from the Forbidden Scroll...his hands were already making seals before he even finished the thought.

"Futon: Renkudan!" Naruto took in a deep breath before expelling a massive blast of pure air.

There was a deafening explosion as the compressed ball of violent air slammed into the oncoming wave. Water was scattered across the area and where the blast was centred around was suddenly turned into a crater. Naruto shot forwards again using his jutsu to make a quick jump across the area towards the Hokages.

Branches, trees and even the earth itself moved to try and attack him. He dodged them all started charging a jutsu he hoped would be enough to even the odds a little. Hiruzen had moved to intercept however and swung his personal weapon-staff out at him.

'_Shunpo no Jutsu,'_ Naruto appeared behind Hashirama in an instant. The Shodai turned quickly but knew he had no time to dodge, "Rasengan!"

Hashirama was hurled back violently before he slammed into a nearby tree _he_ had created just a moment ago.

"That was the Rasengan," Minato whispered.

"Yeah I mastered it when I was thirteen," Naruto responded as he saw Hashirama get back up.

Minato smiled at that, "you're definitely like your mother in that regard".

"If you like that then you're going to love this," Naruto said as he was already making a new set of hand-seals...a lot of hand-seals.

"Katon: Karyu Endan!" Hiruzen suddenly expelled a huge stream of red/white flames at Naruto, burning down a good portion of the trees around them.

"Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu!" two spheres of wind appeared in Naruto's hands and he brought them together in front of him. A tornado of wind came to life and shot towards the Sandaime Hokage the moment the two spheres touched.

The fire jutsu intensified for a moment before the winds snuffed it out and _kept going_. Eventually Hiruzen was forced to dodge as the tornado screamed passed him blowing out the trees behind him.

"Well that was interesting," the Sandaime Hokage couldn't help but comment upon seeing the area damage.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Naruto wasted no time as two clones popped into existence beside him.

The original held out his hand towards the two clones and they immediately started channelling chakra. What followed was the most painful bell-like screech the four Hokages had ever heard as the wind picked up around them. In the center of this Naruto held up his hand above his head showing what looked like a giant shuriken made out of solid chakra and wind.

"What the hell is that?" Tobirama asked upon seeing the chakra shuriken.

"I think I might know," Minato whispered knowingly and couldn't help but smile.

"Futon: Rasenshuriken!" Naruto shouted as he hurled the chakra shuriken at them.

"He threw it?!" Hiruzen said as even he was surprised.

The four Hokages scattered to avoid it and thought they were safe only for it to expand and catch Tobirama in a ball of deadly wind. The others could only watch as the Nidaime Hokage was ripped apart until he was completely _destroyed._ The ball exploded violently a moment later sending dust and smoke up into the air.

"Damn," Minato grunted. "I knew it would be deadly when I designed it but I seriously never thought it would have that much power".

"That was only stage five dad; I can do stage six," Naruto said panting slightly. _'Damn it My Hybrid Mode is running low on chakra...I can't last for much longer'._

"You've surpassed me," Minato smiled.

Naruto nodded, "yeah...I have".

Minato suddenly got serious as he made a hand-seal, "very well then I won't hold back".

_Sage Mode Activated_

Minato's eyes turned yellow as his pupils elongated horizontally signifying his ascension into his Toad Sage Mode. Both toad elders had appeared on his shoulders in twin poofs of smoke and they seemed surprised as they realised who had summoned them.

"Minato-bozu?" Fukasaku said in surprise as the Yondaime nodded.

"It's good to see you again Fukasaku-sensei but I'm afraid this is business; I currently have no physical control of this body and have been ordered to kill Naruto," Minato said as he tried to gain control.

The two elders tried to break free of the body also but found that they couldn't move, "we can't get free," Shima said.

"I'm sorry about this," Minato apologized and shot forward at a blinding speed. His nose, feet and hands morphed into the shape of a reminiscent of a toad as he moved.

"Shit," Naruto said and flash-stepped to the side only for Minato to track him.

Minato landed a roundhouse kick to the Taiken's chest which slammed him into the side of the cliff and bounced off. Naruto landed on his feet however and recovered quickly but Minato was already in front of him again. Naruto evaded the punch that was sent at him but he still felt the impact and was blown away all the same, this time crashing through a tree.

'_What the hell did he hit me with? That wasn't chakra,'_ Naruto asked in thought as he stood.

Seemingly knowing what he was thinking, Minato spoke. "It's a Senjutsu/Taijutsu style called Kawazu Kumite; even if you can dodge my blows it will still hurt you. Be careful," Minato didn't want to fight but knew he had too all the same.

Naruto wiped some blood from his lip and nodded, "I understand".

"Watch out behind you," Minato warned as Hiruzen appeared behind Naruto.

"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," the Sandaime hurled a single shuriken at the Kitsune-Sennin which moments later turned into dozens of shurikens. However the volley merely bounced off the Futon: Rasenken doing very little damage though Naruto knew he was running low on chakra now, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun".

The Kitsune-Sennin jumped away when a column of wood sprouted from the ground intent on catching him.

'_I'm in trouble here,'_ Naruto thought as he touched back down a few feet away.

"He can't win," Minato said as he struggled to gain control of his body.

'_Dad's right; I can't win like this,'_ every scenario that went through Naruto's head wasn't a good one. He knew he couldn't win again four of the Hokages at the same time, the only reason he'd been able to destroy one of them was because he'd...caught that one by surprise. That's it! _'I may not be able to hold it for long but it only needs to buy me some time. Hopefully I can take out one of them as well before the Shodai suppresses me,'_ he brought his hands to his side and clenched his fists as he tapped into his sealed chakra.

"What are you doing Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen asked as the blond Sennin closed his eyes.

His answer came in Naruto becoming engulfed in a column of crimson light which blinded everything from view. The light died down quickly however and the three remaining Hokages could only stand there in shock when they saw Naruto covered in a highly condensed cloak of crimson chakra with _nine_ swishing tails behind him. (This is based on Kirabi's 'Eight-Tails Version 2' from the recent chapters).

"**If you're going all out then so am I,"** "Naruto's voice sounded like a snarl because of the chakra.

"He's...my god he really did manage to gain control of it," Minato said smiling widely.

"Impressive; to be able to tame such a power and not be of Senju blood is nothing short of ludicrous yet here you stand. Let's see how much control you really have," Hashirama said and placed his hand into a seal once more.

**Spring Country: Oto Port**

"Get back here you snake freak!" Yugito shouted as she dashed after the Otokage.

The man had made a run for it as Naruto fought the four Hokages and though she had faith in him, even she knew he wouldn't be able to last forever. Their only hope was to kill Kabutomaru once and for all and hopefully undo the jutsu that resurrected the four Hokages.

"Kukukuku; as if I'll let myself be defeated by someone like you cloud bitch," Kabutomaru chuckled as he ran towards the harbour.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Nibi no Nekomata!" there was a large poof of smoke as the Nibi's monstrous form was summoned onto the battlefield.

"**Kitten, why have you summoned me?"** the fire cat asked as Yugito stood on her head and didn't appear to be getting burned.

"I need you to burn something for me," Yugito said simply and pointed towards the ships docked at the harbour. "I need you to destroy every one of those ships before Kabuto escapes; even as fast as Naruto and I are we can't catch him at this rate".

Nibi thought about it for a moment before a sadistic grin appeared on her flamed features, **"with pleasure kitten".** Her tails spanned out and three balls of pure red fire formed at the tip of each tail and in front of her mouth. **"Taju Nekomata Goukakyu!"**

The three balls shot forward at high speeds and quickly reached their targets in a matter of seconds. They slammed into three of the ships—two in the dock and one off the coast—and exploded with a roar sending a wave of heat in all directions. Buildings melted, Oto nins were incinerated and the bulk of the Sound Country fleet was blown away leaving nothing but floating wreckage.

"**That felt good,"** Nibi commented with a smirk.

"Thanks for the help Nibi-Chan," Yugito said and spotted a grey blur slithering away towards the nearby mountain. "There he is! After him!" Yugito shouted and Nibi took off.

"**Nekomata Goukakyu!"** Nibi exclaimed as a ball of crimson flames erupted from her mouth and exploded near where Kabutomaru was moving.

The Otokage was unharmed however and continued on his way up the mountain. "Nibi-Chan he's heading up the mountain," Yugito said clenching her fists.

"**That's no mountain...that's a volcano,"** Nibi declared and took off after him.

* * *

Kabutomaru waited at the edge of the crater overlooking the large amount of lava; he had become increasingly frustrated at the girl who was pursuing him. She had weakened him considerably during their battle which had resulted in him being forced to resurrect the four already dead Hokages while he escaped. Things didn't go as planned however since Naruto showed up and challenged the four Hokages while Yugito had pursued him.

The Kitsune-Sennin would surely fall against the Hokages but the girl...he would have to deal with the Neko-Sennin himself. Originally he had planned on running for a ship and then head back to the mainland if only to fight another day. He had quickly become infuriated by the fact that Yugito had destroyed his invasion fleet with her summons and he knew he had to kill her here and now if he wanted to survive.

Up here at the top of the volcano the air was thinner thus her summon: that stubborn fire cat could not sustain itself for very long and neither could her own Demon Cat Mode. A creature of that size needed a lot of air to remain conscious and simply put; it couldn't breathe this high up. Kabutomaru heard footsteps for a moment over the sound of sparking ash and looked over his shoulder as he felt a presence behind him.

"Hello Namikaze Yugito," the Otokage greeted and turned with scales appearing on his skin.

"Let's finish this snake," said the Neko-Sennin as her bow appeared in her hand with a flash of light.

_Sage Mode Activated_

Kabutomaru's body convulsed violently before his mouth opened and a large, monstrous snake shot out into the air. Once the snake was completely out, the body collapsed to the ground and remained lifeless. The snake turned its head slightly and opened its mouth revealing a crazed Kabutomaru as its tongue.

"So that's your true form abomination? Very well then I will destroy it," Yugito stated as she shifted into the most powerful form.

_Hybrid Mode Activated_

The pupils in her eyes elongated vertically and took on a mix between blue and purple. No words were said as the giant snake rushed forward into on killing her once and for all. In response she let loose with a volley of fire arrows which detonated on the Otokage's hardened skin though it had little to no effect.

"Hi no Ya," she whispered only to dodge a moment later. The beast's tail caught her in the side as she evaded the initial strike, _'he's fast'._

"Too slow!" Kabutomaru shouted with glee as he turned swiftly and made to eat her.

She used a bit of her fire manipulation to literally blast herself out of the way just as Kabutomaru slammed down on the ground where she stood moments ago. The ground shook as the Otokage disappeared into the ground; Yugito was forced to use chakra to hold herself to the ground as the very earth itself shook and cracked.

Suddenly the cliff overlooking the crater gave way and an entire section of rock fell towards the pit of lava. Yugito regained her balance as she stood up and glared over at the other side of the floating rock where Kabutomaru hissed at her.

"This is your grave girl!" the Otokage bellowed as he shot towards her.

Yugito didn't move...

One shot...

That's all she needed...

With her bow raised she aimed directly for the approaching monstrosity and steadied herself. The snake drew near, coming closer and closer. She couldn't run, she couldn't hide...she need too. A single arrow flashed into existence in the bow and she pulled it back readying to fire. She took one, single deep breath a let loose with her new technique.

"Cho Hi no Ya," Yugito whispered as the arrow ignited in a blinding red light.

The arrow struck straight and true; exploding as it impacted the snake's face. It cried out in surprise as sparks danced across its eyes, temporarily blinding the creature. Yugito didn't waste any time after that and quickly with her heightened speed appeared behind the Otokage. She took hold of the beast's tail and using the increased strength provided by her Raiton no Yoroi, swung the large creature around her in a circular motion.

"What are you doing?!" Kabutomaru growled out as she swung him around.

Yugito's answered was the echoing war cry that escaped her lips as she swung the tail down towards the pit of lava the rocky platform was floating on. Kabutomaru barely had time to scream as his body was consumed by the inferno that lay below. Yugito watched silently as he slowly disappeared into the boiling lava, never to return.

Yugito sighed in relief, _'I did it'._ Suddenly the platform she was standing on started to shake, no, the entire mountain was starting to shake, _'oh please don't tell me...'_ The outer layer of the cliff edge overlooking the volcano's crater suddenly started to break and large clusters of rock started to fall into the lava, _'this is not good'._ The platform itself started to crack and splinter before her, _'okay...that is my cue to leave'._

She channelled her chakra into her feet and she shot upwards into the sky while being propelled by her fire manipulation from her feet. She had just exited the volcano by the time the top of it exploded in a column of fire and brimstone. It was here that Yugito's chakra reserves finally gave out and she crashed headlong into a small forest just north of the erupted volcano.

_Hybrid Mode Deactivated_

**Author's Notes:**

For the record Naruto has had four months to study the Forbidden Scroll, don't you think he'd have mastered _at least_ one jutsu? As for Minato not remembering anything from Naruto's seal during his fight with Pein, well why would he? He's been in the Shinigami's stomach for seventeen years; Minato left an _imprint _of himself in the seal. Nothing more.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Taiken = Supreme Leader  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist  
Futon: Kaze Shunpo = Wind Release: Wind Flash Step  
Hiraishin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Technique  
Suiton: Suishoha = Water Release: Water Shockwave  
Futon: Renkudan = Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet  
Shunpo no Jutsu = Flash Step Technique  
Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere  
Katon: Karyu Endan = Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile  
Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu = Wind Release: Divine Wind Technique  
Futon: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken  
Kawazu Kumite = Frog Kata  
Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu= Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique  
Taju Nekomata Goukakyu = Multiple Forked Cat Great Fireball  
Nekomata Goukakyu = Forked Cat Great Fireball  
Hi no Ya = Arrow of Fire  
Cho Hi no Ya = Super Arrow of Fire

Please Read and Review.

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	34. Will of Fire

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter34: Will of Fire

**Spring Country: Mountain Range**

"**Yoko Rasengan!" **a large ball of spinning crimson chakra exploded violently reducing the forest to a crater.

"Un-fucking believable; to contain it and use it in a humanoid form...I didn't think it was possible. The concentration needed for such a feet is enormous; I doubt even I could do it in a million years," Hashirama said as he and the remaining Hokages stepped out from cover.

A three-pronged kunai shot passed him and bounced off Naruto's chakra cloak. "Hiraishin no Jutsu," Minato suddenly appeared beside the human-sized fox with his jutsu in hand. "Rasengan!" he called out as he slammed the spiralling sphere of destruction into the crimson fox's chest.

"**Get with the program dad!" **just as Naruto was blown back a large section of chakra shot out, taking the form of a separate body attached to his own.

The new body swiped its claws at Minato; tearing open is chest and sending him flying. Naruto landed on all fours after the body disappeared inside of his chakra cloak. Minato's wounds were already healing however, even as he stood ready to do battle again. Bones began to appear all over his body until he was completely encased in a skeleton of pure white fox bones. Suddenly blue and red spheres started compressing into a black sphere in front of Naruto's mouth.

"Now what?" Hiruzen asked at the sight. He'd never imagined it would turn out like this, Naruto being able to control Kyuubi's chakra to such a degree...he wondered if Kakashi had been the one to teach him this.

"Oh shit; everyone get behind me!" Hashirama shouted and the two other Hokages fell back. He made a hand-seal and called out. "Mokuton: Mokujōheki," twenty-seven barriers made of wood shot up from the ground.

"**Kyuubiko Imari!"**

The compressed chakra projectile exploded across the terrain; its force literally reshaping the countryside into a large canyon which stretched all the way to the base of the nearby volcano. After the dust cleared however the three remaining Hokages could now be seen across from the nine-tailed chakra-skeleton fox.

Minato appeared to be relatively unharmed if a little exhausted; Hashirama though looked like he was about to go into cardiac arrest. Then there was Hiruzen...his body was following apart; his arms were gone and his face looked at if it was missing a cheek.

"Heh heh...nicely done Naruto-kun...you've made this old man proud," were his final words before his body completely collapsed leaving only the sacrifice's body behind.

"Old man..." Minato said upon seeing him. Suddenly he shot toward Naruto again with a jutsu in hand, "Rasengan!"

Naruto dodged the attack and counterattacked faster than Minato could react. His skeleton claws slashed through Minato's upper body just as he brought his tails to strike down on his opponent. Before he could completely his attack however, wooden columns shot out the ground and grabbed his tails along with his midsection.

"**Damn it I'm out of time,"** Naruto growled as Hashirama appeared in front of him and slammed his hand into the Kitsune-Sennin's chest.

The necklace the Shodai wore glowed bright green as he completed his jutsu, "Hokage-shiki Jijun Jutsu - Kakuan Nitten Suishu!"

Naruto cried out in pain as the Youki surrounding his body was forcefully suppressed leaving his healing body crumbling to the ground. The two Hokages withdrew a moment later as Naruto struggled to stand once again.

'_Well there goes Kyuubi's chakra...damn it,'_ the Taiken winced in pain as he as looked over at the two regrouping Hokages.

"Run away Naruto; you can't win," Minato pleaded.

Naruto's response to make one single hand-seal and two clones appeared at his side, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu". He held out his hand to his side, "not a chance in hell...you're right I can't win but...that doesn't mean I'll just give up". A deafening screech echoed through the area as the two clones charged his next (and last) jutsu.

"This that the jutsu from before? No...It's different," Hashirama mused.

"...It can't be..." Minato said with wide-eyes.

"Futon: Rasenkamikaze!" Naruto called out as he hurled the crimson-yellow chakra shuriken at them.

"Oh shit!" Minato shouted as he made to dodge the attack.

It expanded a moment later; engulfing everything within a twenty mile radius in a spinning sphere of wind and destruction. Trees, rocks and even the nearby mountain were all ripped apart by the spiralling vortex. A moment later the large ball of power exploded with enough force to level the entire forest and leaving a rather large crater where there was once a beautiful countryside.

When the dust cleared Naruto and Minato were the only ones left standing. The Shodai having been torn apart by the last attack; his necklace had fallen to the ground in the center of the crater.

"You're the last one left dad," Naruto said between breaths.

"And you're at your limit," the Yondaime responded. "I'm proud of you...I'm proud of the man you've become," he stated clearly.

Tears filled Naruto's eyes as he nodded, "let's finish this dad".

"Yes...let's," Minato said as they both shot toward each other.

"Rasengan!"

A moment later the world was consumed in light...

**Spring Country: Mount Yuki**

The echo of one, final explosion was heard by all across the battlefield as the last of the combat died down. Haru nins were wiping out the remaining Oto stragglers while Temari and Darui searched for Naruto and Yugito amongst the chaos. They found Yugito near the nearby volcano; her head having been hit on the ground and she appeared to be bleeding badly.

"How is she?" Darui asked worriedly.

"I only know first aid...we need to get her to a proper hospital right now," Temari told the Kumo Jonin.

Darui nodded and lifted the Neko-Sennin into his arms, "I'll take her. You should continue looking for Taiken-sama".

Temari nodded as she watched him take off towards where the Haru field camp was located. She turned quickly and took off in the direct she had seen the large wind ball detonate, silently hoping to find Naruto alive.

She arrived few minutes later...

It looked like someone had literally carved the ground out and didn't care about what was in the way. There were two large craters, one bigger than the other and a large canyon stretching for miles. The entire forest had been levelled; trees and branches were scattered all around the crater creating a haze to thick to see clearly.

She caught a glimpse of yellow and red in the center of the larger crater; upon closer inspection she found that it was Naruto standing over the crumbling body of the Yondaime Hokage. Naruto didn't look much better; he was bleeding all over and his right arm looked like it was broken. Probably from repeated use of his Rasengan jutsu over a long duration; that Futon: Rasenkamikaze probably didn't help much either.

"I guess this is goodbye," Naruto said as he looked down at his dying father.

Minato just smiled up at him, "true...I wish I had more time but...I want to see Kushina-Chan again".

"...About Kyuubi...I understand why you did it and...You made the right choice...even if I don't agree with it," Naruto said trying to find the words.

Minato just smiled as what was left of his body collapsed and crumbled into oblivion. The sacrifice used as the body was left lying peacefully and would forever remain still. Temari appeared at the Taiken's side a moment later; she waited a few seconds until he was finished.

Naruto turned to her, "report".

"The last of the Haru nins are being rounded up now; Yugito-dono has suffered injury and has been taken to the nearest medical facility. Darui-san is with her," Temari informed him just as she would the Kazekage.

"Will she be alright?" he asked.

The Suna kunoichi nodded, "she should be fine".

"That's good...what about Kabuto?" Naruto then asked.

"We believe Yugito-dono killed him when the volcano erupted," she replied.

Naruto sighed in relief at that, "alright. As soon as the last of the Oto survivors have been either killed or captured I want all forces to secure the port along with any ships still intact. Even if they're barely seaworthy, they would be a good naval force for the Alliance".

Temari nodded, "I'll inform the Haru Jonin right away".

**Spring Country: Kazahana Palace**

"Will she be okay?" Naruto asked as he looked over the bed where Yugito lay. His arm was in a caste though because of his healing factor he could take it off tomorrow.

Koyuki nodded with a smile, "she's strong. She'll survive...what about you? How are you holding up?"

Naruto looked up at her, "I'm fine I guess. I never dreamed I'd ever have to fight my own father or the old man for that matter".

Koyuki nodded at that and held out the Shodai's necklace, "we found this in the larger crater".

Naruto saw it and took it into hand, "a chakra crystal necklace...just like my old one".

"...I've talked to my advisors and I've come to a decision," Koyuki spoke clearly and Naruto sat up at the tone. "We will join the Elemental Alliance and we will provide whatever support that is required".

Naruto nodded, "thank you Daimyo-dono".

Koyuki chuckled at that, "I see you've picked up some manners since you were a kid".

Naruto chuckled as well, "well let's just say Yugito 'straightened me out' and leave it at that".

The sound of an audible groan filled the room and the two Daimyo's turned their attention back to the bedridden Kumo-nin. Yugito's eyes fluttered open and saw the two other occupants in the room.

"This doesn't look like heaven...if it is then I want my money back," the Neko-Sennin turned over and buried her head in the pillow.

"Afraid not...what's with the money? Since when did you pay for stuff?" Naruto asked with a grin.

His response was a pillow being thrown at him; it caught him dead-center in his face and knocked on his ass.

"It's good to see you too Yugito," Naruto said as he pulled himself back into his seat.

Yugito turned back over and looked at the two, "well? What happened exactly? The last thing I remember was the volcano erupting after I killed that snake bastard".

"The Haru nins rounded up the last of the Oto nins," Koyuki began. "We also managed to salvage a couple of the ships off the coast," she continued.

Naruto nodded at that, "I dealt with the Hokages but...they were falling apart almost constantly. I think when you killed Kabuto they must have been drained or something because I was still able to beat them despite being outnumbered".

"There's also the fact that you're pretty beat up Naruto-kun," Koyuki added. She gestured to his injuries, "If it were anyone else they'd be in the morgue right now instead of having a caste".

Yugito looked at how badly her husband was hurt, "are you alright idiot?"

Naruto grinned slightly, "I'll be fine. It's nothing a good night sleep won't cure...unfortunately that's all the time we got".

Yugito sat up at that, "what is it?"

"We need to get back to Wave Country and check in with the rest of the Alliance," stated the Kitsune-Sennin clearly.

"Why?" Yugito asked curios.

"Because...I just received word a few hours ago; the Raikage is stepping down. I think he found out that you killed Kabuto or...Kabutomaru, whatever he was calling himself. Rikiya-dono is handing over his position to you..._Raikage-dono,_" he said with a wide grin surprising the two women.

"I'm the WHAT?!"

* * *

The trip back to Wave Country was short thanks to Naruto's Hiraishin no Jutsu; he'd used it to carry both himself and Yugito back to Nami Town after they were both sufficiently healed. Once there they had spent the next week or so getting everything ready; messages and all that stuff.

During this time Naruto had called in a favor from Fukasaku and Shima. He asked the two elder toads if they would train Inari in Gama-Senjutsu; at first they said no because they thought the boy was too young but considering the situation the world was falling into they decided to do it anyways. So Inari had left to be trained to enter the Toad Sage Mode.

Naruto knew he'd be able to do it and he would be a force to be reckoned with afterwards. After all his father, Minato had been one of the strongest opponents he'd ever fought despite being in a weakened state thanks to his 'temporary' body. When Inari came back Naruto knew he'd have the take the kid seriously...to do otherwise would be suicide.

Yugito had been instated as the Godaime Raikage much to her own surprise; she'd of course gone home to get everything in order. Her grandfather had agreed to handle the internal affairs until the war was over; he'd hope it wouldn't be too long.

This brings us to the current situation...

In the living room of the Wave Daimyo's home was a map of the Elemental Countries hanging on the wall; Naruto stood in before it. His gaze resting on a specific area of the map...he didn't hear his wife enter the room.

"Naruto?" she asked as she saw him staring at the map. "Is something wrong?" her voice was a little worried.

_I will unite the world under one banner, one country, one military, one ruler, one lord. My plan is to bring all of the nations together; unite them all and then completely obliterate the ninja system from existence._

He'd said those words...so long ago...it was finally happening; he just wished Jiraiya and Nagato were here to see this...

"Naruto?" Yugito asked again.

This time the Taiken turned and smiled, "I was just thinking".

"About what?" she asked as she approached.

"The past...the future," he said as he looked back at the map. "More and more of the smaller countries are joining the alliance with each passing day. Whether it's because of fear or because they believe in it doesn't matter now; I've finally accomplished my goal of a united world".

"But..." Yugito trailed off, wanting him to continue.

"But I can't help but think that Madara isn't going to let this stop him," Naruto finished. Yugito nodded knowing the Uchiha Founder would stop at nothing to create his 'new world'.

"What do we do then? Between the military strengths of Suna, Kumo and Ame along with the economic power of Wave and the technological power of Spring, it would be difficult to wage a war like the kind he wants. Not to mention we now have control over both Sound Country and Earth Country following Kabutomaru's death," the Godaime Raikage stated clearly.

Naruto nodded at that, "I don't think it will be enough though".

"Then what do we do?" she the question.

"...I think it's time we returned to Konoha. Don't you?"

**Author's Notes:**

Damn I've had complete writers-blog for like two weeks now; this will be the last update before New Year's. I hope you enjoyed it and this concludes the Spring Arc; it didn't want to be written. Seriously; my mind kept on drifting to things like Halo, Stargate and BSG. I even spent some time writing out chapters for crossover fics for them. I did like seven chapters in all (the irony of that number should not be lost on any true Halo fan).

For the record Yoshino in the Moonlight; I'm flattered that you think I'd be good for bouncing ideas off of but to be honest I just write what I think it exciting along with whatever comes to mind at the time. I'm not really sure what you want me to do exactly...

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Rasengan = Spiralling Sphere  
Yoko Rasengan = Demon Fox Spiralling Sphere  
Hiraishin no Jutsu = Flying Thunder God Technique  
Mokuton: Mokujōheki = Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall  
Kyuubiko Imari = Nine-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball  
Hokage-shiki Jijun Jutsu - Kakuan Nitten Suishu = Hokage-style Sixty-year-old Technique - Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-bringing Hands  
Futon: Rasenkamikaze = Wind Release: Spiralling Divine Wind  
Taiken = Supreme Leader

Please Read and Review.

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	35. Falling Leaves

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter35: Falling Leaves

**Fire Country: Konoha / Main Gates**

Konoha used to be the most powerful of the five great shinobi villages; that changed after the Battle of Pain almost a year ago. It was a long and bloody conflict which brought Konoha to its knees just the same as the monstrous Kyuubi no Kitsune did seventeen years ago. Since then the village had been rebuilt and life...tried to go on as usual.

It was difficult however; between the civil war with Danzo and Senju Tsunade moving to Wave Country in Alliance territory Konoha's power was at an all-time low. All of this drove home one very significant piece of information...

The Village Hidden in the Leaves...was dying...

That's why when they received a letter saying requesting an Alliance ambassador be allowed to talk to the Hokage; they couldn't afford to turn it down. To do so would make it seem as if they were as weak as they had become. They couldn't have that..._she _couldn't have that; Haruno Sakura. The Rokudaime Hokage knew that if Konoha was going to survive then they needed allies.

So she agreed to let the Alliance send their representative...

Of course she knew who they would send...

Currently the Konoha 10 (Sasuke wasn't included); Team Ebisu and the clan-heads were standing at the main gates awaiting the arrival of the representative(s).

"Do you think he's really gonna be here?" Kiba asked no one in particular.

"He'll be here," Sakura said knowingly.

"He's late...three hours late at that," Tenten sighed.

"Most un-youthful," Lee said shaking his head; he now wore a Jonin vest.

"Don't worry, bro will be here," Konohamaru spoke up.

"I see them," Hinata said with her Byakugan activated.

The group turned towards where the Hyuga heiress was looking and spotted three figures walking towards the gates. Upon closer inspection they realised the two taller ones were Naruto and Yugito whom were wearing their Kage respective hats. The third member of the little group was a young thirteen year old boy whom Sakura instantly recognized as Inari from Wave Country.

Once they reached the gates Naruto spoke up, "permission to enter you're village Hokage-dono?"

Sakura nodded understanding the correct protocols for this type of meeting, "of course Taiken-dono".

The group entered a moment later and stood before the group; a small smile having slipped onto Naruto's lips as he saw the village looked like it had returned to normal. This was the first time anyone from Konoha had gotten a good look at him since the Battle of Pain; his hair had grown out since then. And were it not for the colour scheme of his cloths and the whisker marks on his face he would have been mistaken for his father.

Yugito cast an annoyed look at the blond beside her and nudged him. She had also changed slightly; not the cloths or the hair but the look in her eyes were filled with steel. As if she had faced a demon and killed it...the reports about her defeating the Otokage must be true then huh?

"Oh right...introductions," Naruto caught on to what she was trying to tell him. "I am the Shodai Taiken, Namikaze Naruto," he turned to Yugito. "This is the Godaime Raikage and second in command of the Alliance. Nii Yugito," the Neko-Sennin bowed her head in greeting. Naruto turned towards the boy at his side and finished. "And this is Nami Inari; my apprentice and the new Gama-Sennin," the Konoha group were surprised by the introductions but didn't show it.

"Perhaps we should have this conversation in a more private and conformable area?" Sakura phrased it as a question but that was only to be polite.

"Lead the way Hokage-dono," Naruto nodded.

The clan heads left soon after along with everyone from the Konoha 10 besides Sakura. Team Ebisu also left as the remaining group entered the new Hokage Tower and came to a room where a large table was located. They sat down on the chairs around the table and put up a sound-proof barrier around the room.

Naruto turned to Inari and said, "why don't you take a look around?"

Inari nodded and smiled, "alright Ni-san. I'll meet up with you later," he left a moment later.

"It's good to see you again Sakura," Naruto said with a smile.

"You too Naruto," the Hokage smiled back. "It's been too long...or is that just the stress talking?"

Naruto just grinned at that, "yeah well you should see my job. I mean do you know how much paperwork I have to go through a day?"

Sakura shook her head, "too be honest, I have no idea how Shishou managed it".

"She drank a lot," the blond said as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Not all the time...at least not while working," Sakura said with a frown.

Yugito smiled at seeing the mood lighten, "well how about we get down to business then?"

"Erm...yes of course," Sakura coughed and immediately got serious. "Before you say anything I realise that the situation has changed; Konoha is no longer the strongest in the Elemental Countries and you know it so there is no point in denying it. Pein's attack reduced Konoha's strength down to half...not even Orochimaru managed to do that".

"Well at least you grasp the situation you're in," Yugito commented.

Sakura frowned at her, "I am well aware of how badly the situation has become. Uchiha Madara declared war on the entire continent; a man who shouldn't even be alive".

"He won't be for long if we have anything to say about it," Yugito told her.

"Madara aside...there's also another problem," Sakura continued.

"What you mean besides the fact that he has six of the Biju and Kiri at his disposal?" Yugito asked.

Sakura nodded, "there's also...Sasuke".

The room fell silent at that...

"What happened?" it was a simple question but the way Naruto said it sent chills down everyone's spines.

Sakura sighed to calm herself, "I found out some...disturbing information while going through Danzo's old files...specifically the files on the Uchiha Massacre".

Naruto narrowed his eyes at that, "what do you mean?"

"Itachi gave me the power to nullify Genjutsu over a year ago; he told me that it was a failsafe in case Sasuke ever tried to do something bad to Konoha. It wasn't until I had to fight Sasuke that I was able to figure out what he meant. Itachi cared more about Konoha then anything else...except his brother," Sakura explained.

"Where are you going with this Sakura?" Naruto asked getting impatient.

"...Uchiha Itachi didn't lose his mind and slaughter the Uchiha Clan. He was ordered to wipe out the clan by the elders of Konoha," Sakura finished.

The room again fell silent...the only sound being the breathing of the room's occupants.

"What?!" were it not for the sound-proof barrier around the office Naruto's voice would have been heard all over the village. "Are you telling me that Danzo and you're elders are the reason the Uchiha were wiped out? And not just that but by proxy they are also involved in Sasuke betraying Konoha to Orochimaru?"

Sakura nodded, "that is correct, and I can't bring them up on charges if I can't release the evidence to the public".

"Why can't you release the evidence?" Yugito asked intrigued.

Sakura sighed, "if I did that then what do you think Sasuke would do?"

"...He would try to destroy Konoha," Naruto answered finally.

Sakura nodded again, "as Hokage I cannot let that happen".

"Who else knows?" Yugito asked.

"No one outside of this room," Sakura told them.

"So it's just us three...can't you find a diplomatic solution to all this?" Yugito asked.

Sakura just shook her head, "the Sandaime Hokage tried to negotiate with the Uchiha Clan but...he failed".

"I can see why this would be a problem; originally we came here to ask if Konoha wanted to join the Alliance. We had thought since the civil war was over that you had sorted out you're internal problems by now but...that's clearly not the case," Naruto said as he rubbed his eyes.

"What would you have me do? Go public about the Massacre? If I did that then the people would lose the respect they have in Konoha's governing body," Sakura said simply.

"That would destabilise the region; at best it would destroy Konoha from within. At worst it would destroy this entire country and everything around it," Yugito said shaking her head.

"...You're right; I can't risk the entire continent for one village. I'm sorry Sakura but that's just the way things are," Naruto told her as he stood.

"You're leaving?" Sakura asked as she saw Yugito stand also.

Naruto turned his head towards her, "if you can't help yourselves then you're not worth helping. Inari knows that better than anyone".

They left a moment later...

* * *

"A bit cold at the end weren't you?" Yugito asked as they walked through the street, paying no mind to the stares they were receiving.

"I was stating a fact...nothing more," the Kitsune-Sennin told her.

"...That may be true but the situation here is delicate at best; things need to be taken slowly," Yugito responded after a moment.

Naruto nodded, "I know...it doesn't matter right now though".

"How so?" Yugito asked intrigued.

"Naruto," a voice said from behind them causing the two to stop.

"Sasuke," the Kitsune-Sennin responded, not turning around.

"Dobe," the Uchiha smirked as Yugito looked between the two.

"Teme," this time Naruto did turn.

"Demon," Sasuke sneered.

"Abomination," Naruto's eyes flashed red open seeing his former friend.

Sasuke smirked at that, "you and me. Training Ground Seven...right now".

"...Are you really going to risk an international incident over a grudge Sasuke?" Naruto asked him unfazed.

"...Yes," the Uchiha replied.

"...So be it," Naruto said with closed eyes.

"Naruto?" Yugito asked her husband.

"There's no way to talk him out of it Yugito; his mind is already made up. That's just the way things are," Naruto stated turning away.

"...Fine but answer me this; is this what you call a diplomatic solution?" the Neko-Sennin asked him annoyed.

Naruto just grinned, "oh hell no. This is what I call...aggressive negotiations". (I've been reading _way_ too many star wars fics lately)

**Fire Country: Konoha / Training Ground Seven**

They arrived at the training area ten minutes later; they didn't even talk. Not so much as a word was uttered as they stood across from each other in the large clearing. Before they could begin however Naruto walked over to the memorial stone in the corner.

"What are you doing dobe?" Sasuke asked with narrowed eyes.

Naruto didn't answer; instead looking over the names of everyone on it...he finally found what he was looking for. _'I've never looked over this before...watch over us...mom...dad,'_ he traced their names with his hand.

"Dobe?" Sasuke spoke up again getting annoyed at the delay.

Naruto turned towards him, "before we start Sasuke. Let me ask you something; do you have someone precious to you?"

Sasuke just grunted, "Attachments make you weak".

"...Then you are lost," Naruto said simply and the air around him started to spin.

_Hybrid Mode Activated_

Naruto's eyes narrowed into vertical slits and a red outline appeared around his pupils. In response Sasuke's eyes spun widely into the Mangekyo Sharingan as lightning started sparked from his body. No words were uttered as the two dropped into their own fighting stances; their never leaving their opponents. Yugito watched from the tree line; she wouldn't interfere of course. This was Naruto's fight; she knew he had to do this...even Madara had said so.

"Let's go wild," Naruto said clearly.

"Chidori Senbon," Sasuke whispered as he unleashed a salvo of Senbon needles at the blond.

Naruto deflected them with his chakra shield, "Futon: Rasen".

Sasuke appeared in front of him a moment later a swung his sword from the side, "Chidori Nagashi!"

The Whirlpool Sword flashed into the blonde's hand and he parried, "Futon: Hein".

The two broke away a moment later...

'_He's gotten better but...compared to the Hokages and Rikiya-dono he's nowhere near their level,'_ Naruto thought as he saw the Uchiha settle into another stance.

"Amaterasu," Sasuke whispered as black flames shot out towards the Kitsune-Sennin.

'_Got to dodge,'_ Naruto narrowed his eyes and let his chakra consume him. "Futon: Kaze Shunpo," he disappeared in a flash of yellow, completely evading the black flames. Naruto appeared behind his opponent instantly and the Uchiha turned to intercept. Only to be blown back by a punch to the gut which sent shockwaves through him, "Futon: Rasenken".

Sasuke crashed with a deafening roar...

"Are you done yet Sasuke? That was a direct hit I landed on you; if I had aimed for your head or something else vital then you would be dead right now," Naruto stated clearly. Sasuke stood up encased in what looked like a yamabushi, "Susanoo? Well it looks a lot different than the last time I saw it".

It was true; the last time he saw Sasuke use this particular jutsu was back during the Konoha Civil War. Sasuke could only sustain the bones and arms back then; now though he seemed to have fully constructed one to protect himself.

"You can't defeat me now dobe," Sasuke sneered at him.

Naruto didn't respond; he appeared above the yamabushi and struck down with his sword, "Futon: Hein".

The creature's head was split if half from the strike causing Sasuke to strain in order to compensate for the damage. Naruto dropped down in front of him and dodged the large sword that the yamabushi swung at him. Naruto in return sliced the hand which held the large sword clean off causing it to dissipate. Naruto appeared right in front of where Sasuke was and swung his sword. It cut through but what happened next came as a big surprise to the blond.

"Amaterasu no Tate," Sasuke whispered as the yamabushi was suddenly covered in black flames. Naruto broke away and looked over the creature. Sasuke stood in its center with a crazed smirk on his face; his eyes were bleeding as he stared at his opponent. "Do you really think you can win dobe?" he eyes seemed to darken as if he were someone else.

Again Naruto didn't respond; he spun his sword around and held it like he would a dagger or a kunai. After channelling some more wind chakra he threw the sword directly at Sasuke whose eyes widened in surprise. The blade tore through the yamabushi as if it were made of paper and struck Sasuke in the shoulder with enough force to blow him out of the creature.

The yamabushi dissipated a moment later as Naruto appeared behind the still moving Sasuke. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and pushed Sasuke against one of the three wooden pillars in the clearing. Sasuke coughed up blood as Naruto pulled the sword out and spun, landing a kick to the Uchiha's chest with enough force to destroy the pillar behind it.

Naruto waited for him to move from where he lay...

...he didn't...

...it was over...

Naruto sighed and looked over his former friend; silence had descended upon the clearing as the wind settled.

Yugito appeared at his side, "are you alright?"

Naruto nodded, "yeah...just thinking".

"...Why didn't you end it earlier? It's clear that you were holding back," she asked as they turned away.

Naruto just shook his head, "I...I wanted to see how far he had gone".

"...I see," Yugito said sadly.

Just then Sakura and several Anbu entered the clearing.

Naruto was about to speak up when the Hokage held up her hand to stop him, "we saw it all Naruto. You're not at fault for this; just...just go".

The Taiken nodded and turned towards Sasuke's unconscious form, "you know I could have killed him three times now. The first time at the Valley of the End; I could have stopped him at the end but I held back because he would die. The second time was after his fight with Itachi...and now this time too". Sakura saw his eyes were still in Hybrid Mode, "I only spared his life on a whim".

Sakura watched wide eyed as he started walking away, the Raikage at his side the entire way...

**Author's Notes:**

If anyone is going to ask about why Sasuke didn't use Tsukuyomi then I will tell you. If you remember back on the beach he saw Naruto nullify it when Itachi used it on him. On a side note: Ultimate Pawnage! As you can see Naruto is much stronger than Sasuke now; he didn't need to resort to any of his more powerful Jutsus.

In fact Naruto only used four Jutsus during the entire battle; but seriously after facing the Raikage, Madara and four of the Hokages do you really think Sasuke would be able to match him? In the recent Manga Sasuke would have died in a fight against the Raikage; or at the very least they would kill each other.

Happy New Year!

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Taiken = Supreme Leader  
Chidori Senbon = Thousand Bird Senbon  
Futon: Rasen = Wind Release: Spiral  
Chidori Nagashi = Thousand Birds Current  
Futon: Hein = Wind Release: Flying Swallow  
Futon: Kaze Shunpo = Wind Release: Wind Flash Step  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist  
Amaterasu = Illuminating Heaven  
Susanoo = He with the ability to help by all means  
Amaterasu no Tate = Shield of Illuminating Heaven

Please Read and Review.

Double Post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	36. Chosen Path

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter36: Chosen Path

**Fire Country: Hokage Monument / Prison Area**

He couldn't believe it; _he, _Uchiha Sasuke was thrown in a prison cell for clearly _ridiculous_ reasons. Not only that but it was _Sakura_ that had gave the order; ridiculous! That annoying woman frustrated him to no end; she was always so clingy when they were younger and now...now she acts as if he no longer concerns her!

She had beaten him; him! True she was pushed to her limit but she still won; and the dobe...the dobe beat him in a matter of minutes _and_ he was playing from the start! Sasuke couldn't stand it; the Uchiha Clan prided themselves in being the best, and he _would_ be the best...one way or another...

"It seems like you've landed yourself in quite the pickle...Uchiha Sasuke," a voice spoke from the shadows.

Sasuke looked over at where it originated, "who are you?"

"Me? Why I'm your new best friend of course," a figure stepped out of the shadows wearing what he knew was an Akatsuki cloak. He wore a distinctive orange mask, "how about we have a little chat, shall we?"

**Fire Country: Namikaze Compound**

His dad's old place counted more as a house then a mansion like the other Hokages had; it seemed like it was built to house a small family but nothing like a clan or anything. The surrounding area could be used to expand though if that issue ever need addressing. Naruto and Yugito had used it for their stay and made sure to go through what was in it.

Naruto cursed his father for the seals he placed everywhere; seriously they were _everywhere._ I mean there were even a few in the bathroom; when he found them Naruto fully believed his father was a _bit_ paranoid. He actually managed to find a photo of his parents which now lay beside the king-sized bed he shared with Yugito.

Yugito had also been the one to find his parents' 'armoury'; it was massive to say the least. Below the house was a network of tunnels reinforced with several sheets of metal and was filled with hundreds of different weapons and seals. There was thousands of Hiraishin Kunai in storage just waiting to be used and the seals...to be honest he wasn't even sure what half of them did.

Well Namikaze Minato was a seal-master so it didn't really surprise them...

_Knock Knock_

The two looked over at the door; they both frowned, neither of them had sensed anything. No chakra signature, no sound, not even the rush of air from the impact where the knock would have originated. Their weapons flashed into their hands as Naruto approached the door cautiously...

"Who is it?" Naruto called as he clutched the sword in his hand.

"Who do you think boss?" came the voice he knew instantly. Naruto opened the door to reveal a grinning Konohamaru with Hanabi, Moegi and Udon in tow. "Yo boss, it's been awhile".

"How the hell did you get passed our senses? Better question: how the hell did you get passed all the traps and seals we setup around the house?" Naruto asked his former apprentice.

"There were traps?" the young Sarutobi asked in surprise and looked around.

"..." Naruto remained silent, unable to find a response to that.

Yugito decided to step in, "would you close the door? You're letting the cold in!" she called from the kitchen.

"Oh sorry," Konohamaru said sheepishly and closed the door behind him. Naruto led them to the kitchen as his sword flashed away again surprising them slightly.

"Hello you must be Naruto's old students; it's nice to meet you," Yugito said with a smile. To them she was absolutely gorgeous; tall, had everything in the 'perfect size' that 'mattered' and gave off an aura that practically screamed 'power'.

"I wasn't his student Raikage-sama," Hanabi corrected simply.

Yugito shook her head, "its fine you're still welcome". She turned back to the oven, "dinner is almost ready".

"Take a seat," Naruto gestured to the kitchen table and they sat down. "So how have you been?" he asked once they were seated.

Moegi was the one who answered, "we've been great boss. It's been boring lately though; ever since Pein attacked and the civil war things have been quiet".

Naruto smiled at that, "that's good to hear. It means no one is really bothering Konoha at the moment...why are you here anyway? I doubt it's a social call; you want something?"

Konohamaru swallowed and nodded, "yes I...I want to challenge you to a fight. One on one...just like we were going to do before...everything happened".

Naruto shook his head, "sorry Konohamaru but I can't do that. I'm the commander of the alliance military; I can't risk an international incident over a spar".

"I see...what about Sasuke then?" the young Sarutobi asked trying not to show his disappointment.

Naruto just grinned, "he's...different you could say".

"Oh...I shouldn't be surprised I guess...what about you bro? What have you been doing? Have anymore adventures since the last time you were here?" Konohamaru asked wanting to know.

"A few," Naruto said with a chuckle.

"Yeah the idiot married me after beating up my grandfather," Yugito said with a pout.

"You can't blame that on me Yugito; he was the one that wanted to fight _me_ not the other way around," Naruto shot back.

"I swear your both so stubborn that it's not even funny," the Raikage said with a groan as she remembered the tournament.

"Congrats Nisan," Konohamaru said.

"What about you? You dating anyone these days?" there was a reason Naruto was the _Kitsune_-Sennin.

"Erm—well—I-I-" the young Sarutobi stammered as a blush spread over both his and Hanabi's cheeks.

"Oh he and Hanabi have been dating for four months now; you should have seen them on their little date a month ago to the new restaurant on 4th street," Moegi spoke up and winked.

"Moegi!" Konohamaru said indignantly.

"Don't be so embarrassed Konohamaru," Naruto waved it off before a smirk slipped onto his face. "Just make sure you two are careful; I don't want to be an uncle just yet," at his words Konohamaru and Hanabi developed a new shade of red which put even Hinata's to shame.

"Nisan!" the young Sarutobi shouted again as he tried to fight down the blush which had captured his face.

It was then that Yugito smacked Naruto upside the head, "please don't mind my idiot husband. He means well and besides I think it's cute that you two are together".

"Alright I won't tease them...at least not all time," Naruto grinned as Hanabi sent him a glare. "Don't give me that look; besides it fun to-" he stopped midsentence and turned towards the door.

"What is it Nisan?" Konohamaru asked when he saw Yugito tense at her husband's side.

"The seals outside just picked up Inari...and he's bringing friends," Naruto said standing up.

Yugito was already at the door by the time they heard the knock...

_Knock Knock_

Yugito opened the door to reveal Inari and Team Samui standing outside on the doorstep.

"I found them at the front gates of Konoha; you're grandfather sent them Raikage-sama," Inari stated with a worried look.

"What happened?" Yugito asked, completely losing her kind aura.

Samui was the one who answered, "two days ago Kumo was attacked...or should I say Storm Cloud Ravine was attacked...by Akatsuki". The two Sennin narrowed their eyes at that, "I'm sorry Raikage-sama but..."

"What happened Samui?" Yugito asked as he eyes flashed purple.

"Hoshigaki Kisame fought and captured Kirabi-sensei. We were sent out to rescue him along with Rikiya-sama but...we were too late...the Hachibi was removed from Kirabi-sensei...he's gone," the normally cold Samui tightened he fist as she spoke the final words.

The two Sennin stood stock still at that; neither knowing what to say and both of them looking at the team with disbelief.

"That's impossible; Kirabi-sensei was damn near unstoppable even for me. How the hell did he lose?" Naruto asked them knowing how powerful the man was.

"Kisame used some kind of jutsu which allows him to drain chakra from his opponents; not sure how or why but he seems to be able to transform too. He was able to regenerate after taking an Imari from Kirabi-sensei," Karui answered while trying to keep herself calm.

"How did Akatsuki even manage to extract the Hachibi in two days? It takes about three-four days with _nine_ members; how did Madara manage to do it in two days?" Yugito asked as purple flames started to dance across her arms.

"Kiri...he probably got some of his new subordinates to help out with the sealing," Naruto answered for them.

"They'll pay for this...Madara and Kisame both," Yugito said with a voice of steel.

Naruto held her close as she let out a sob, "yes they will...yes they will".

* * *

Kirabi's funeral was held in Kumo three days later which had given enough time for Naruto and Yugito to attend. Naruto used Hiraishin no Jutsu to teleport them there and back once it was over. It was a small ceremony where only Rikiya, Yugito, Naruto, Darui, Shi and Team Samui attended. Through it all Yugito swore she would make Kisame pay for what he'd done and Naruto was torn between his feelings for his wife and the ideals he gathered from his experience with Nagato a year ago.

All in all it was a terrible situation...

It only got worse with the knowledge that Madara now had seven of the nine Biju at his disposal and would no doubt use them to their fullest potential. His insane plan of releasing the age old demon: Juubi had become one step closer leaving only the Kyuubi and the Nibi remaining in the world of the living.

On a lighter note however Inari had returned to Wave Country with (surprisingly for Naruto) Moegi; the two really hit it off well after they were introduced. Well wonders ever cease?

A month had passed since the funeral and the situation in Konoha seemed to be getting worse. Naruto knew that at the rate they were going then Konoha would run itself into the ground despite Sakura's best efforts. Then there was Sasuke...

**Fire Country: Konoha / Hokage Tower**

The Rokudaime Hokage: Haruno Sakura was sitting at her desk facing the enemy of every village leader in existence: paperwork. The seemingly unstoppable foe which no matter how many times she defeated it, it just kept on coming back with greater numbers. At least she understood why Tsunade drank so much...

_Knock Knock_

"Come in," the pinkette sighed and looked up at the door. It stayed closed causing her to frown; it was then that she heard the distinctive sound of a lit explosive tag. _'Oh crap,'_ her eyes widened in surprise as the room was engulfed in flames.

Explosive tags detonated all across the Hokage Tower; some in the walls, some on windows and even some on the support beams. The building crumbled under the pressure and those that were still inside screamed as the ceiling came down on top of them. The villagers who had been watching stood numb as smoke drifted off from the debris that was once the Hokage Tower.

Sakura crawled out of the rubble and fell back onto what looked like a dining table albeit it was burned and was missing one of its corners along with its legs. Blood flowed from a wound on her arm and she quickly healed it with her knowledge of medical-ninjutsu. Once that was done she checked around her and saw that no one else was there.

No Anbu, no Shinobi, not even the civilians; nothing moved except the loose piece of wall that somehow remained intact as it started to give way also. She struggled to stand and tried to sense any chakra signatures in the area. None of the Anbu she assigned as her personal guards were there; in fact she couldn't find a trace of them.

She suddenly felt a presence behind her and rolled to the side just as a blade she recognized swung down on where she was standing just a moment ago. She rolled to her feet and responded with a kick to the ground which sent chunks of debris up into the air, catching her assailant off guard.

"What do you think you're doing Sasuke?!" Sakura shouted when she identified her former team-mate.

It was then that she got a good look at him...he was wearing an Akatsuki cloak.

"You lied to me...you all lied to me!" bellowed Uchiha Sasuke as he charged once more.

_Sage Mode Activated_

Sakura's skin seemed to become as white as a ghost as seals spread over her arms and face. She disappeared from sight the moment Sasuke struck only to reappear above him and land a downward kick to his head.

"Tsūtenkyaku!" she called out as her foot connected with his face. Dust was blown upwards as Sakura back-flipped high into the air onto the Hokage Monument above, "what's this about Sasuke?!" Sasuke stood below, encased in some kind of yamabushi which looked different then when she had faced it a year ago.

"Konoha murdered my family! For that I'm going to kill you and destroy it once and for all!" the Uchiha shouted back with a crazed smile.

'_He knows...I'm sorry Sasuke...I can't allow you to do that,'_ Sakura thought sadly.

Some kind of chakra arrow shot out from the yamabushi and forced her to jump away. The attack exploded against the face of the monument but the seals that were put in place absorbed the impact just as it did during the Kyuubi attack years ago. The shockwave that accompanied it cut her arm but it healed in moments thanks to her Sage Mode allowing her to use it without any problem.

"Hold still so I can _nail_ you just like you've always wanted," Sasuke sneered and swung the massive chakra sword which the yamabushi held.

Sakura looked disgusted at the comment and jumped over the weapon as it was swung at her. She vanished while in midair and appeared high above as nothing more than a speck of light. She shot down, her arm glowing a mix of green and blue as she descended.

"Ōkashō!" the Hokage exclaimed as her attack struck from above. The rubble was suddenly blown upwards as a blinding light consumed the village; after it died down Sasuke could be seen without his Susanoo activated and holding Sakura above the ground by her neck.

_Sage Mode Deactivated_

"Nice try Sakura-_Chan_ but I won't fall for that trick again," the Uchiha smirked as she tried to pull away. His arm held however, "don't bother trying to struggle. I've already corrupted you little _Sage Mode_ and my chakra is keeping yours suppressed so you're super strength is useless also". He enjoyed it as she squirmed, "how does it feel? To have everything you know and love crumble around you and disappear? Hurts doesn't it? Don't worry; by the time I'm through with Konoha no one will remember this backwater little village". The Kusenagi Sword was already in his free hand, "with you out of the way Konoha will surely fall".

He swung down only for it to be intercepted...

"You know Teme; they say when you hit rock bottom you can't go any lower. But I think you just did," Naruto said from the side. The Whirlpool Sword in his hand and extended between the two, preventing the Kusenagi Sword from striking Sakura.

"Naruto," the Uchiha growled under his breath. His Sharingan blazed, "Amaterasu".

"Futon: Rasenken," Naruto whispered as the black flames consumed him.

Yugito came in from the side and connected a punch to the Uchiha's face. The force behind the blow was enough to send him crashing through the wall that surrounded the remains of the Hokage Tower. Sakura coughed, she'd been let go during the confrontation and she stood once more. Naruto 'shredded' the black flames and levelled his sword at where Sasuke had gone.

"Did you get him?" Naruto asked, not taking his eyes off where Sasuke had crashed.

Yugito shook her head, "he put up that _thing_ to deflect the bulk of my attack just now".

The dust cleared and revealed Sasuke to be nowhere in sight...

"He's gone; damn it I need to get my shinobi after him," Sakura said and jumped away.

"Chakra Nami," a large but weak shockwave was expelled from Naruto which spread out over the village and continued for another five miles. "Found him; he's outside the village walls," the Taiken stated.

"He's running," Yugito nodded as they took off after the Uchiha.

"I think I know where he's going too...at least judging by the direction," Naruto continued.

"Where?" Yugito asked when she saw the frown that was now on his face.

"The border between Fire Country and the Former Sound Country...the Valley of the End".

**Author's Notes:**

Let's face it Kisame would have defeated Kirabi in the manga had it not been for his brother's intervention; I know Kirabi was defending the music guy with the bear but I just can't see him winning against Kisame in a full on battle. In related news Kishi has apparently created another bogus jutsu for the Sharingan and Danzo has some fucked up cells from the Shodai...WTF?!

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Taiken = Supreme Leader  
Imari = Menacing Ball  
Tsūtenkyaku = Painful Sky Leg  
Ōkashō = Cherry Blossom Impact  
Susanoo = He with the ability to help by all means  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiralling Fist  
Chakra Nami = Chakra Wave

Please Read and Review.

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	37. Revenge and Justice

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter37: Revenge and Justice

**Fire Country: Forest**

The two Sennin dashed through the forest, trees zooming passed them as they moved from branch to branch. Naruto led the way since he knew this specific route down to the last detail and would notice if there was something out of place. They had been travelling for hours now and were quickly reaching their destination: the Valley of the End.

They were about to reach the grave of Kaguya Kimimaro when Naruto stopped just short of the clearing...

Yugito stopped beside him, "what is it?"

Naruto spun around and pushed them both apart just as a blue blur dropped down on where they had been standing. It swung its sword down and blew up dust as it slammed into the ground with a deafening roar. The two Sennin recovered quickly on opposite sides of the attacker as their weapons flashed into existence in their hands.

"Hello kiddies," Hoshigaki Kisame grinned as he shouldered the massive sword: Samehada.

"You," Yugito growled out when she saw him. "What are you doing here?" she aimed the bow in her hands.

"I've been given orders to capture you both by Mizukage-sama," Kisame answered still grinning. "And there's no one better at capturing people alive then me," he finished.

Naruto suddenly jumped out of the treeline and descended towards the swordsman with two spheres of chakra spinning in his hands. Kisame's eyes widened as he realized the Naruto he had attacked was in fact a clone and quickly turned to engage the new threat.

"Rasenrengan!" Samehada was brought up and intercepted the attacks.

Yugito came in from the side with her Raiton no Yoroi activated, "Kaizuki!"

Kisame spun around and parried the blow, "wow darling you're sure cranky today". She ignored him however and front-flipped above him, "crap". Her attack grazed his arm and he rolled away as she landed, "not bad little cat".

"We don't have time to fuck around with you," Naruto stated, clearly annoyed at the swordsman's presence.

"Not my problem," Kisame shrugged as Samehada started to _giggle._

"Naruto you go on ahead; I got this," Yugito told him over her shoulder.

The Kitsune-Sennin looked at her, worried, "are you sure?"

The Neko-Sennin nodded and kept her attention on her opponent, "I'm sure".

"...Alright," he took off into the forest a moment later towards the Valley of the End.

"Splitting up? Do you really think you can take me alone little cat?" the shark-man asked with the grin still on his face.

"I'll do more than take you on; I'm going to bury you six feet under!" Yugito shouted clearly. She suddenly sprang to the left and threw a pair of lightning balls at her opponent, "Tsuin Oodama Raikyu!"

Kisame smirked and allowed Samehada to absorb them, "you have to do better than that little cat".

"Shut up!" Yugito shout as she jumped into the air and ignited her arm in flames. "Katon: Cho Dai Kaizuki!" the long lance-like sword extended and slashed across the ground where Kisame stood, sending smoke into the air from the scorched earth.

When the smoke cleared Kisame could be seen standing unharmed with what looked like a large club which was..._giggling_.

'_His sword transformed?'_ Yugito thought upon seeing the weapon. "What is that thing?"

"This is Samehada's true form...I'm going to enjoy cutting off your legs," Kisame grinned, clearly insane.

"You can try!" the Raikage shot back as she levelled her bow at him. "Cho Hi no Ya!" four blindingly crimson arrows were launched towards the swordsman who grinned as he saw them.

Yugito had expected them to explode on contact like they did when she used them against Kabutomaru but sadly this was not the case this time. The arrows bounced off of Samehada's skin as the chakra in them was absorbed by the sword.

"Coward; your letting your sword do the fighting for you! Is that how you beat Kirabi-sensei?!" Yugito snarled as flames started to dance across her cloak.

Kisame just grinned at her, "wouldn't you like to know?" he taunted. Purple flames exploded from Yugito's body before it solidified into the shape of a large flaming cat with two tails, "my my. What big teeth you have".

The Nibified-Yugito swung her arm out at him and released a wave of flames, **"Hi Nami!"**

Kisame planted Samehada into the ground and ducked behind it as the flames washed over his position.

"She's feisty," the Kiri swordsman muttered with a grin as Samehada absorbed most of the chakra in the attack.

A few seconds later the flames died down and Kisame took a step out...

...and Samehada burped loudly...

"Please pardon him; he was just hungry," Kisame said as he shouldered the living weapon once more.

Yugito didn't respond but instead concentrated a large ball of purple flames at her large cat mouth, **"Nekomata Endan!"**

The large ball exploded towards him at incredible speed, to which he narrowly managed to evade. The fireball exploded a hundred meters behind him with enough force to blow him off of his feet and level half the forest around them.

"Suiton: Dai Bakusui Shōha!"

A second later the flames were put out by a large blast of water engulfed the area and consumed Yugito in a dome of water. She reverted to her human form but the distinctive characteristics of her eyes indicated she was in her Hybrid Mode. She turned swiftly and spotted her opponent.

He was completely different from before; he was more like a shark now than a man. He had fins now and Samehada couldn't be seen but she knew he had it somewhere.

"You can't escape me now!" Kisame exclaimed as he shot forward, using his fins to effortlesslt swim through the dome of water he had created.

'_Damn it I need to get out of here!'_ Yugito panicked in thought and quickly swam in the opposite way in hopes of escaping the dome.

"Suirō Sameodori no Jutsu!" she heard as she saw the edge of the dome move _away _from her.

'_He's moving the dome with us so I can't get out! Damn it what do I do?'_ Yugito thought before stopping and turning to face her opponent directly.

"Your mine now!" Kisame's voice was clear as he drew near.

"Raiton: Rairyudan no Jutsu!" a lightning dragon shot out of Yugito's outstretched hand and Kisame was surprised that it didn't dissipate once it was in the water.

He was unable to dodge as it struck him dead-center in the chest and that was all it took to break his concentration. The water dome collapsed in a matter of seconds as he absorbed the Raiton jutsu and they both fell to the ground. Samehada detached itself from Kisame's body and he stood up on the destroyed battlefield, clearly at his limit.

"Cat's have nine lives," Yugito told him. "And now I'll end this, Raiton no Yoroi," lightning engulfed her body as she vanished in a burst of speed, surprising Kisame as she appeared in front of him. "Kaizuki!" she yelled as she sliced through his neck in one swift attack.

"Heh heh, it looks like you were too fast for me," Kisame said grinning as his head fell to the ground, soon followed by his now lifeless body.

"Rest well Kirabi-sensei," Yugito sighed and released her jutsu.

**Fire-Sound Country: Valley of the End**

Naruto found it ironic that they would meet back at this location where so long ago the two had fought in much the same way that Senju Hashirama did with Uchiha Madara in this very valley. Atop the two statues that marked this location stood the two people, both of whom represented those two warriors respectively.

"Sasuke...it doesn't have to be this way; come back with me," Naruto pleaded with his former friend from his spot atop Hashirama's head.

"Come back? To what?! To more lies?! To more secrecy?! To more mockery?!" Sasuke demanded across the valley. "Never again! I'm going to separate the Uchiha Clan from the rotting ninja world! You might even say it's what Konoha always wanted; you always hated the Uchiha Clan so now we will disappear from your memories just like you always wanted! When I kill everyone in Konoha; by killing every last man, woman and child and utterly destroying Konoha will the finally Uchiha Clan be avenged!"

"Tell me Sasuke...where does revenge end and justice begin?" Naruto asked him after hearing his speech. When Sasuke didn't answer he continued, "I see...if that's how you feel then I will stop you here and now".

_Hybrid Mode Activated_

Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw Naruto suddenly disappear from his position on the Shodai's head and reappear above him with his sword in hand. Sasuke barely had enough time to evade as Naruto struck down with his sword...and destroyed the statue of Madara's head in one blow.

'_He's faster than before! Was he playing with me when we fought in Konoha?!'_ Sasuke thought angrily only to be surprised again when Naruto appeared above him in a flash of yellow light.

"Futon: Kaze Shunpo," the blond whispered and swung down with the Uzu no Tsurugi. "Futon: Hein!" he called out as the blade shone white.

"Chidorigatana!" Sasuke shouted at the two clashed with their respective weapons.

There was a resounding explosion as the two were blown apart to opposite sides of the valley; Naruto managed to slow himself with the water before reaching the cliff wall as Sasuke slammed hard into the statues on the other side of the valley.

"Give up Sasuke; you know as well as I do that your Mangekyo Sharingan Jutsus are useless against me. I can counter every one of them," Naruto's voice echoed across the valley.

"N-no," Sasuke gasped out as he stood once again and made a hand-seal. "Kuchiyose: Gedo Mazo!" a large statue with its eyes closed erupted from the ground behind him. "Now you will feel some of my hatred!" the Uchiha shouted as familiar black chakra blades shot out from the statue and struck Sasuke where he stood.

"What the hell is that?" Naruto asked upon seeing the monstrous statue. "What have you done Sasuke?" he asked as he saw his former friend seem to age before his eyes into a wrinkled man with barely any meat on his body. _'Is this what happened to Nagato?'_ Naruto asked in thought as he saw the transformation.

"Die Naruto!" Sasuke gave out a large cry as some kind of dragon-like ghost shot out of the statues mouth and descended where Naruto stood.

"Futon: Kaze Shunpo," Naruto whispered as he flashed across the valley to evade the dragon ghost. _'It's only a matter of time before he learns how to predict my jutsu,'_ Naruto realised as he saw the dragon ghost come at him again.

"Die Naruto!" Sasuke yelled again.

'_Damn it, he's already figured out my jutsu,'_ Naruto thought as the dragon ghost descended on him again. A second later he felt himself being lifted into the air and the dragon ghost whizzed past his feet. He looked up quickly and saw his saviour, his angel, "Konan?"

"You're as reckless as ever Namikaze Naruto...just like Yahiko," the Angel of Rain said with a smile as she flapped her large paper wings behind her to keep the pair airborne.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked her.

"Talk later!" Konan shouted back as she narrowly evaded the dragon ghost.

"What is that thing?" the Taiken asked in shout.

"It's Gedo Mazo; Nagato used it to seal away the Biju we captured before you defeated him. The Uchiha kid seems to have fused with it in the same way Nagato did when we were betrayed by Hanzo and Danzo. It is a very dangerous weapon," Konan explained as she manoeuvred the two around the dragon ghost yet again.

"How do we destroy it?!" Naruto yelled to her.

"If you destroy it then the Biju will be released! You have to go after the summoner in order to dispel the jutsu," Konan explained as she took levelled off just above the water.

"Alright...drop me off here," the moment Naruto said those words Konan dropped him into the water as the dragon ghost continued to pursue her. Naruto shot out of the water in front of Sasuke and readied his sword, "Sasuke!"

"No!" Sasuke shouted as the sword tore through his body and out his back. The dragon ghost was just about to swallow Konan whole when it shattered into sparkles of energy leaving Konan to sigh in relief.

'_That was too close,'_ the Angel of Rain thought as she descended to where Naruto and Sasuke were.

"N-no—m-my—r-revenge-" Sasuke gasped out in between breaths.

"Your revenge doesn't matter anymore Sasuke; you've betrayed Itachi's trust in you," Naruto said simply.

"D-do not speak to me of Itachi!" Sasuke shouted in anger before he dropped to his knees, coughing up blood.

"Sasuke..." Naruto trailed off not knowing what to say to his dying friend.

"Hey Naruto...we might have a problem over here," Konan called as she examined the demonic statue Sasuke summoned. "All of Gedo Mazo's eyes are closed," she informed.

"So?" Naruto asked, not understanding the significance.

"Each open eye means that a Biju is sealed in it...all of the eyes are closed so the statue is empty. The Biju are not here," Konan explained.

Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the collar and slammed him up against the statue, "where are they? Where are the Biju?!"

Sasuke coughed again before replying with a weak but insane smirk, "Madara has them now. He's merged their chakra cores together and sealed them inside himself. Even now he's on his way to Wave Country, to put an end to your stupid alliance once and for all dobe".

Naruto pushed him down, "I'll stop him".

Sasuke just smirked up at him, "you won't...because he has something you want".

"And what might that be?" the Taiken asked.

Sasuke's last words before darkness claimed him were, "you're mother".

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry about the fuck up; kind of erased this chapter and had to start from scratch again.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Taiken = Supreme Leader  
Rasenrengan = Spiralling Group Sphere  
Raiton no Yoroi = Armour of Lightning  
Kaizuki = Fire Blade  
Tsuin Oodama Raikyu = Twin Great Ball Lightning Ball  
Katon: Cho Dai Kaizuki = Fire Release: Super Big Fire Blade  
Cho Hi no Ya = Super Arrow of Fire  
Hi Nami = Fire Wave  
Suiton: Dai Bakusui Shōha = Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave  
Suirō Sameodori no Jutsu = Water Prison Shark Dance Technique  
Nekomata Endan = Forked Cat Flame Bullet  
Raiton: Rairyudan no Jutsu = Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Technique  
Futon: Kaze Shunpo = Wind Release: Wind Flash Step  
Futon: Hein = Wind Release: Flying Sparrow  
Chidorigatana = One Thousand Birds Katana  
Kuchiyose: Gedo Mazo = Summoning: Demonic Statue of the Outer Path

Please Read and Review.

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	38. A Line in the Sand

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter38: A Line in the Sand

**Wave Country: Northern Beach**

The sun shone on the horizon as the day drew to a close; it was peaceful and quiet except for the waves along the shoreline. The silence didn't last long however as just off the coast rested a fleet of thirty-two ships and transports. Kiri nin were disembarking from them and charging towards the beach where the samurai and Inari waited with anxiety.

It didn't help that Uchiha Madara was supposedly leading this attack...

"Archers ready?!" the commander shouted as he saw them the Kiri nins approach.

"Even with Nisan's seals giving us warning, I doubt we can defeat an army that large," Inari muttered.

"We don't have to; all we have to do is hold them off until reinforcements arrive," the commander responded.

"What about the Alliance fleet?" Inari asked him.

The commander shook his head, "it'll be a few minutes before they're in position to hit the enemy from behind".

"We'll just have to work with what we got then," Inari said through gritted teeth. "Here they come," he continued when he saw the Kiri nins charge.

"Archers fire!" the samurai commander roared and the archers across the beach let loose a volley of raining death into the air.

The arrows that were launched into the air slowly descended a moment later and the Kiri nins attempted to dodge. Half of their numbers were wiped out by the salvo but more kept coming to replace them.

"That's it, I'm going Sage Mode," Inari told him and formed a hand-seal.

_Sage Mode Activated_

A pulse of chakra washed over the area around him as his eyes shifted to red and yellow. His pupils were now horizontal slits and two very familiar toad elders were now bonded to his shoulders.

"So it's gotten this bad already? Kids these days," Fukasaku sighed and shook his head.

"We're ready to help Inari-kun," Shima told the new Gama-Sennin.

"We're going to need all the help we can get," Inari told the pair.

"They're charging again!" one of the samurai yelled out as he pointed towards the approaching Kiri nins.

"Squads seven, four and nine, come with me. Everyone else protect the cannons until they're in position!" the commander shouted to his subordinates. "Either we're going down or they are...charge!"

Inari shot forward ahead of the now charging samurai and held up his hand to the heavens. Chakra spiralled out and spun in his hand before expanding as he ran. He jumped and launched the largest-scale attack Naruto had ever taught him in hopes of dealing some damage to the approaching Kiri army.

"Cho Oodama Rasengan!" Inari as he struck down on a scared Kiri nin.

The beach shook as the jutsu detonated with a mighty explosion, sending dust and smoke into the air. Kiri nins were blown away from the sudden attack and when the dust cleared Inari stood staring down those that survived. Just then more Kiri nins appeared from the water and kept charging at the defenders.

"Damn it can't I catch a break?!" Inari shouted as he back flipped over a sword strike before rolling away.

The Kiri nin was upon him in a second and swung down with the sword. Inari sidestepped at the last moment, using his enhanced speed to put some distance between the two and evade the follow-up attack. Just then the Kiri nin swung down again and Inari was forced to catch the blade with both hands on both flat sides.

"Get the hell out of my country!" Inari shouted and pushed the weapon to the side, forcing the Kiri nin to do the same. Inari then spun quickly and slammed his foot into the man's side, sending him crashing along the beach, "Kawazu Kumite!"

"Cannons ready?!" the commander shouted the question as he slashed through another Kiri nin with his chakra enhanced katana.

"They're ready!" the lieutenant in charge of the artillery units shouted back.

"Then fire!" the commander shouted as he held his hand up and then brought it down.

The mobile-cannons that were now lined up on the hill overlooking the beach were identical in almost every way to those used in the Battle of Spring a month ago though these ones were operated by three people instead of two like Oto. One would load the weapon and the other two would aim. The cannons along the beach roared as dozens of cannonballs exploded from their barrels.

The projectiles sailed over the battling Kiri nins and samurai, accelerating towards the fleet off the shore. Three Kiri ships were blown in half and sunk a few moments later while five more were heavily damaged.

It was at this moment that three more ships came up behind the fleet, bearing flags signifying that they were from the Elemental Alliance. Their cannons exploded as they unleashed a hailstorm of cannonballs into the sides of the battered fleet. Caught between the two sets of cannons, the Kiri fleet could do nothing as it was violently blown out of the water.

"Senpō: Kebari Senbon!" Inari shouted as he let loose a salvo of Senbon-needles made from his hair. Three Kiri Jonin went down before seix more came in from the left, "damn it they just keep coming!"

The Gama-Sennin jumped away and used a kunai to defend against the initial swing from one of the swordsman. Inari slid away and rolled up his sleeves; he evaded the Kiri nin's follow up attack and wiped some of his blood on the seals Naruto had placed on his arms.

"Kuchiyose: Tobidōgu," Inari grunted as two katana's appeared in his hands in poofs of smoke. He swung the weapons up, clashed them together and brought them down to rest at his sides, "I heard about you bastards from Nisan...you're one of the seven shinobi swordsman of the mist right?" The Kiri nin didn't answer, "don't talk much do you?"

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!" a water dragon sprang up from the water on his left and came crashing down on the teen a moment later.

Inari had jumped away however only to find several Kiri nins around him; each one had the same face. "Great so now you're throwing water clones at me? At least give me a challenge," Inari taunted.

It was something he'd picked up off of Naruto; if you wanted you're opponent to become sloppy then the easiest way to do it is to insult them. The clones struck at the same time but Inari quickly sliced through them; one after another. They fell like leaves off of a tree in autumn until Inari was the only one left in the immediate area.

Suddenly the swordsman struck down from above and Inari narrowly evaded. Sand was blown up from the impact and Inari parried the following blows. It quickly became obvious however that the Kiri nin's experience would win in the end; knowing this Inari then proceeded to fake an attack from the side and instead dropped the katana in his left hand and threw a punch at the Kiri nin's head.

The swordsman dodged of course and Inari's hand sailed right passed him but the blow still connected even though it missed. The swordsman's face contorted and his eyes widened as he was sent flying back and crashed hard into the trees along the hillside. Inari was panting now and quickly made sure his foe would be getting up before turning to check how the rest of the battle was going. The Kiri fleet was destroyed but the nins it had deployed were smashing through what was left of the defending samurais.

"There's too many of them! We have to fall back!" one of the samurai shouted in fright as two Kiri Chunin descended upon him.

The commander came from the side and cut through the two Chunin, "pull it together! You're a samurai so act like it!"

"He's right though; pull you're men back commander! I'll cover you!" Inari shouted and got a nod from the commander. "Give me some oil would you?" he asked the toad elders.

"You've got it," Fukasaku replied as he formed a hand-seal.

"Three...two...one...now!" Shima exclaimed then unleashed a torrent of oil at the Kiri nins along the beach. This was soon followed Inari and Fukasaku adding to it.

"**Senpō: Goemon!" **the three called out together as the oil, wind and fire amplified each other into a wave of pure destruction. The Kiri nins caught in the blast were incinerated instantly and the rest had received severe burns. The moment of relief didn't last long however as even more Kiri nins appeared from the water, no doubt from the now destroyed fleet which had sunk beneath the water.

"There's just no end to them," Inari said, trying to catch his breath.

"Madara must have sent every ninja in Kiri judging by how many we've seen so far," Fukasaku mused as he saw the enemy reinforcements.

"It's only a matter of time before they break through and reinforcements from Kumo and Ame will take too long to get here. We're out of options," the samurai commander commented grimly.

"Need a hand?" a woman's voice asked surprising the group. "Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu!" a stream of lava washed over the beach and incinerated a few dozen Kiri nins as a figure dropped down beside Inari and the commander.

"Who the hell are you?" Inari asked her only for his eyes to widen when he saw the hat she wore.

"Terumi Mei, Godaime Mizukage; who are you handsome?" Mei shot back as she lifted her Mizukage hat and smiled.

"Nami Inari, current Gama-Sennin and student of the Shodai Taiken," Inari introduced. "Not that I'm complaining or anything but aren't you supposed to be the enemy?"

"Don't assume that the situation is as black and white as it appears. There are always shades of gray...that bastard Madara took control of Kiri and sent me into hiding. He's using those damn eyes of his to control everyone and I won't stand for it. I will free my people from that tyrant no matter what," Mei replied.

'_...This woman is...just like I was back when Gato was still around...expect I gave up until Nisan came...she didn't and still hasn't...would I be able to make that kind of a sacrifice?'_ Inari thought and looked over at his comrades who stood their ground against the approaching darkness. _'Everyone here is fighting to protect their homes and families...just like Nisan would'._

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go save you're people?" Inari said.

"Are you sure we can trust her Inari-sama?" the commander asked.

"If you were in her position commander, would you not risk you're life to rescue those under you're command?" Inari asked simply.

"...True enough," the commander replied and turned back to the battle.

"We have to defeat Madara or this nightmare will not end," Mei said as she shot forward towards the now charging Kiri army, they had appeared to have finished regrouping.

"You dare to defy me? You poor excuse for a Mizukage? Yagura was a fool to leave his position to you should anything happen to him," a sinister voice declared from above. Everyone stopped and looked up only for their eyes to widen in fright. "What with the looks? You look as if you've seen a ghost...so to speak," Madara cackled as he descended towards them.

"Futton: Kōmu no Jutsu!" Mei reacted immediately and exhaled a blast of mist at the last Uchiha.

Madara just phased right through it and chuckled, "you're still such a child Mei-Chan".

"Go to hell!" she shot back and sent several globs of lava at him but yet again he just phased through them.

Madara disappeared in a burst of speed and buried a fist into the Godaime Mizukage's stomach. He followed kicking her away; the commander and his samurai moved to attack him a moment later but he sent out shockwaves across the beach and blew them away. Once silence reigned Madara looked up and spotted Inari descending towards him with an all too familiar attack in hand.

"Rasengan!" the Gama-Sennin called out as he connected with his target.

Madara just chuckled as he phased right through the attack and Inari hit the ground below him. Dust and sand was blown up by the impact and Madara jumped away; the dust cleared a moment later to reveal a very exhausted Inari.

"The Rasengan huh? It seems that brat Naruto has been teaching you some things," Madara mused and chuckled again.

"Inari-kun you're body isn't dully developed yet; we can't hold Sage Mode for much longer or you'll suffer extensive injury," Shima warned him in a whisper.

"The kid doesn't have a choice Ma," Fukasaku told her, his eyes not leaving Madara's form.

"I believe this has gone on long enough; you've been amusing child but you're out of your league. I'll make you're end quick," Madara said before he disappeared in a burst of speed.

Inari tensed as Madara appeared in front of him with his fist covered in lightning; Inari knew he couldn't dodge and so did the two toad elders who could only stare helplessly as the Uchiha went in for the kill...suddenly there was a flash of yellow which overwhelmed his vision and when it died down he could see a figure standing before him with his back to the boy.

"N-Nisan?" Inari asked when he recognised his savoir.

"You did good Inari, leave this to us now," Naruto told him and kept his attention on the fallen Uchiha a few feet away.

"Cho Hi no Ya!" Yugito appeared above them and unloaded a volley of fire arrows all over the Uchiha's fallen position.

"Think that slowed him down?" Naruto asked her as she landed beside him.

"Not likely," Yugito answered. Madara stood to his feet a moment later, insane laughing resonating from him as he did. His visible Sharingan spun wildly as he turned to the two Sennin, "I told you".

"Namikaze Naruto and Namikaze Yugito...I knew that Kisame and Sasuke wouldn't be able to bring you two brats in. You've caused me quite a few problems...problems I will correct by capturing you two myself," Madara said as he craned his head to the side.

"I'm tempted to say you and what army but you've actually got one," Naruto shrugged as he glared at the Uchiha. "One way or the other this war ends today Madara...do your worst".

Madara chuckled darkly and held out his hand towards the pair, "capture them".

The Kiri nins around them charged forward, intent on beating the two Sennin down and taking them in.

"I got this," Naruto said and Yugito nodded. "Chakra Nami," a massive pulse of chakra exploded from Naruto's position and washed over the beach. The Kiri nins suddenly stopped what they were doing and shook their heads, "it looks like you just lost you're army Madara".

Madara's Sharingan stopped spinning at that, "...I had forgotten about that jutsu of yours. It did defeat Tsukuyomi so naturally it would be able to defeat my controlling Genjutsu as well". The Uchiha sighed, "if you want something done right I guess you just have to do it yourself huh?"

"...Where is she?" Naruto demanded.

"...Oh so Sasuke did tell you about the little bitch, Uzumaki Kushina. One of only a select few to have actually landed a solid blow on me; she's...safe...for now," Madara answered and chuckled.

"What are you planning exactly? You want to release the Juubi but what does that have to do with my mother?" Naruto demanded.

"It's simple enough Namikaze Naruto; I need a pawn. I need someone to act as a conduit between myself and the Juubi's prison. Originally I had intended Pein to perform that task...thanks to you that plan fell through. When you defeated him I decided to use someone else...you're old friend Sasuke...he had so much potential but sadly he was simply too difficult to control given the amount of time I had available. That left you're mother...I found her hospital bed right before the building came crashing down from the Kyuubi's rampage. Of course I left behind a rather convincing dead blood clone of her too throw you off of my tail. She was my...insurance policy just in case I needed someone to directly connect to the Juubi," Madara explained.

"You're using her?" Naruto asked with clenched fists.

Madara scoffed, "of course. I've had her in suspended animation for the better part of seventeen years...I had originally just wanted to leave her there. After all she deserves a long and slow death before finally meeting her end".

"You're a monster," Naruto said with a glare.

"There is no denying that I am a plain-dealing villain Namikaze Naruto; if you want your mother back then how about we take this to a more...appropriate location?" Madara asked the question and his orange mask started spinning, creating a vortex of chakra.

"Come on, we're going after him," Naruto said and dashed towards the vortex.

"I'm with you," Yugito told him and jumped into the vortex after him.

It closed a few seconds later leaving the beach silent as the moonlight shone through the clouds...

**Author's Notes:**

Konohamaru had his chance to shine against Pein and now Inari has his chance to shine against the Kiri army and Madara. As you can see he's not on Madara's level (seriously who is?) but he is as strong as one of the seven shinobi swordsman (SSS).

Special guest: Terumi Mei

I hope that explains where she's been and what happened to her after Madara returned to Kiri. I mean come on do you really think I'd have killed her off without tell anyone? She's a pain to write but not as much as Kirabi (at least with her I don't have to constantly rap all the time).

Ultimate Forbidden Technique: Grand Cliff-Hanger no Jutsu!!!

(Insert: Evil Laugh)

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Taiken = Supreme Leader  
Rasengan = Spiraling Sphere  
Cho Oodama Rasengan = Super Chakra Spiraling Sphere  
Kuchiyose: Tobidōgu = Summonin: Flying Tool  
Kawazu Kumite = Frog Kata  
Senpō: Goemon = Sage Art: Goemon  
Senpō: Kebari Senbon = Sage Art: Hair Needle Barrage  
Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu = Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique  
Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu = Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique  
Futton: Kōmu no Jutsu = Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique

Please Read and Review.

P.S. Double post with Naruto: Rinnegan Chronicles

See Ya Later...


	39. Full Circle Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter39: Full Circle Part 1

**Whirlpool Country: Uzu**

The sky seemed to open up and spit out the two Sennin who then dropped to the street in the middle of very familiar village.

"We're in Uzugakure no Sato," Naruto stated clearly.

Yugito looked around for their foe but couldn't find him, "I wonder why he brought us here".

"He wanted us away from our allies; that's probably why he withdrew from Wave Country the first time too. He knew even if he'd won back then that he would be weakened enough for someone like Tsunade-Obachan to finish him off," Naruto commented.

"How very deductive Namikaze Naruto," Madara said from atop one of the nearby buildings. He sat on the edge with one leg hanging and the other resting on the stone, "I thought this would be a fitting battleground for us. It certainly was when I faced you're parents eighteen years ago".

The moonlight shone down on them as they stared at each other, silence filling the air as the wind breezed by around them.

"Where is my mother?" Naruto demanded.

"Like I said before, she's safe. For now...let's talk," Madara chuckled and waved him to come at him.

_Hybrid Mode Activated_

Naruto gave no warning as he appeared above him in a flash of yellow, "Futon: Kaze Shunpo". Madara vanished as Naruto struck and destroyed the building, "Futon: Rasenken!"

Madara appeared behind him and stabbed Naruto through the back, "Raikiri". It poofed away a moment away, "a shadow clone?"

Yugito appeared behind him and slashed across, "Katon: Cho Dai Kaizuki!" Madara took the hit head-on and he hit the ground with a mighty explosion, "I got him with that one".

"He's tough but he's not invincible," Naruto stated as he landed beside her.

"Oni-Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" pure white fireballs of superheated chakra shot out of the smoke at the pair.

"Get behind me," Naruto said and brought his had up in front of him. "Futon: Rasen," a wall of spinning chakra and wind appeared to defend against the attack.

Naruto grunted as the white fireballs impacted, forcing himself to hold the barrier together under the repeated attacks. Madara suddenly appeared behind them in a spiralling vortex of chakra from his mask and attacked again. Enhanced with her Raiton no Yoroi; Yugito reacted quickly and turned to engage the madman once again.

"Kaizuki!" she called out as her arm ignited in flames.

"Raikiri!" Madara cackled as his own arm was encased in lightning.

The two clashed when the two attacks connected and sent sparks of fire and lightning all around. The ground shook and any windows in the area that were still there suddenly cracked and shattered. After a moment Naruto came in from the side and swung with his sword forcing Madara to break away.

Yugito back flipped above him and fired an arrow from her bow, "Cho Hi no Ya!"

The arrow hit the Uchiha in the chest and sent sparks all over the area. Once it died down Madara stood staring at the ground; he was silent for a second before a low chuckling could be heard. It got louder and louder until Madara's head reeled back and he laughed uncontrollably.

"Hahahaha; you've both gotten stronger. I never thought it would turn out this way but you have; now though you are both becoming a problem. You've both caused me quite a bit of trouble over the last year and I think it's about time I correct that. So from now on I'm going to take you both seriously," Madara said after his laughter died down.

_Sage Mode Activated_

Madara's only visible eye shifted from the Sharingan into a Sharingan-Fox Sage Mode Hybrid with the center pupil elongating into a vertical slit. Naruto and Yugito took a step back in shock at this particular development.

"He has a Sage Mode?" Yugito asked incredulously.

"No way," Naruto shook his head, wide-eyed.

Madara chuckled again, "don't be like that. Come now, I was a Kitsune-Sennin long before you became one Namikaze Naruto. Of course I was able to access this particular Sage Mode. You should feel honoured; I haven't used this form in nearly ninety years...not since I faced Senju Hashirama at the Valley of the End".

"If I remember right, you lost," Naruto shot back. "Just like you did to the Yondaime Mizukage: Yagura".

Madara sent him a murderous glare, "I admit I was...weakened after my battle with Hashirama but I never used this form against Yagura...because until just recently I couldn't".

"What changed?" Yugito asked him.

Madara chuckled darkly at the question, "I merged the chakra cores of the other seven Biju sealed it inside of me; when I did that my injuries were healed and I am once again back to full strength. Now all I need is the Biju cores from you two and I can finally obtain ultimate power from the Juubi".

"That is not going to happen," Naruto responded defiantly.

Madara grunted at that, "have it your way". His eye closed before opening again to reveal the distinctive pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan with the pupil narrowed into a vertical slit, "Mangekyo Sharingan".

"He can use the Mangekyo too?!" Yugito exclaimed upon seeing it.

Naruto growled at that, "the Biju he's collected must have repaired his body enough to use it".

"Amaterasu," Madara whispered and black flames shot towards the two Sennin.

"Futon: Rasen," Yugito ducked behind Naruto again as he established the spinning chakra shield.

"He's just not going to give up is he?" Yugito asked as more flames continued to bombard the shield.

"Don't count on it," Naruto grunted in concentration.

Yugito nodded and jumped into the air a moment later. "Cho Oodama Raikyu!" she called out as she threw a massive ball of pure lightning at Madara. The Uchiha saw it coming however and quickly disappears in a spiral of orange colours, "damn it this guy just won't go down".

"Of course I won't be taken down so easily my dear," Madara stated as he appeared behind her. Before she could react he landed a kick to her midsection and followed up with a punch to the face.

"Damn you," Yugito grunted as she crashed down hard into the nearby building, causing it to collapse.

"Yugito!" Naruto shouted when he saw her fall and swung at Madara from the side.

The Uchiha front-flipped over the swing and brought his foot down on Naruto's head. The force behind the blow sent Taiken down into the ground, blowing up a blast of dust and smoke into the air. Naruto was suddenly hurled out of the dust cloud and crashed through one of the nearby pillars before rolling to a stop at the entrance to a nearby store.

"Don't tell me that this is all you've got?" Madara mocked as Naruto struggled to stand. The Taiken glared up at him causing him to chuckle, "well if that's the case then I suppose I should finish this little dance of ours. Susanoo!" A dark and sinister chakra exploded out from him and encased him in a black and red yamabushi, "the world belongs to me!"

"No it doesn't! Cho Oodama Raikyu!" Yugito shouted at him as a massive ball of lightning slammed into the yamabushi from the side, temporarily stunning it.

"No one will accept you as its ruler!" Naruto shouted back as he stood and formed a hand-seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," two clones appeared at his side.

Madara's yamabushi struggled off the previous attack and he glared at the two, "I will bring order to the chaos of this world".

"The world cannot be saved so easily!" Naruto bellowed as his clones charged the jutsu in his right hand. He turned and hurled the familiar chakra shuriken he had formed, "Futon: Rasenshuriken!"

"We will stop you! Katon: Dai Kaizuki!" Yugito shouted as she threw her fist forward and the long fire blade exploded out towards the Uchiha.

The two attacks seemed to fuse together as they touched on their way to their target creating a fire-covered wind-chakra shuriken. This particular technique was created by the two for the specific purpose of neutralising Madara's defences. It worked...barely...

"**Katon: Rasenkaze!"** the two Sennin called out together as the attack struck Madara right in the chest.

All was silent for a moment before the fire-wind ball expanded into what looked like a miniature star which shredded and then incinerated anything it touched. Naruto and Yugito watched as Madara's still visible form was consumed in the hurricane of fire before the jutsu finally exploded with enough force to knock down the entire city block.

"Do you think we got him this time?" Yugito asked hesitantly.

"...I'm not sure," Naruto admitted.

The dust cleared and a figure could be made out amongst the smoke. Once the smoke settled down Madara's form could clearly be seen; his Akatsuki cloak was shredded and what was left was on fire. Then there was his mask...it was cracked...right down the middle. Madara's glare seemed to intensify on them as he threw off his Akatsuki cloak to reveal his black shinobi clothing underneath.

"Yugito," Naruto said as he appeared in front of her.

"Right," Yugito nodded and held up her hand to the thunder clouds that had formed in the sky.

"You're going to pay for that," Madara said coldly.

"We'll see," Naruto shot back.

"Raiton: Kirin!" Yugito called out as a large dog like monster made of lightning shot down from the sky and hit the place where Madara was standing with a thunderous blast sending massive amounts of heat and lightning sparks for dozens of meters. When the dust cleared Madara stood in the same place as before, completely unharmed.

"That's impossible; we disabled his ability to phase through our attacks with Katon: Rasenkaze. How is he still standing when you just hit him with a Kirin?" Naruto asked while trying to calm himself.

Madara chuckled and spoke, "that's quite simple Namikaze Naruto. This is a jutsu that even the Uchiha Clan deemed a Kinjutsu...Izanagi; I won't bore you with the specifics but it allows me to bend the boundaries between illusion and reality".

"Great so you can control reality now too? All right then let's see about that...Chakra Nami!" Naruto expelled a pulse of chakra all around and it washed over Madara's form. Two orbs in his armour were glowing red but one of them dimmed a moment later, "I see you can't use it for long huh? Since one of them is no longer active I guess that leaves you with one left...are those Sharingan?" Madara didn't reply, "where did you get them?"

"You really should have taken Itachi's body with you," Madara commented causing the two to stare wide-eyed at him.

"You put his eyes in your arm you sick freak? What kind of monster are you?!" Yugito shouted in horror.

Madara just shrugged, "didn't I say that I am a plain-dealing villain?"

"Not for long," Naruto growled at him while his clones started charging another jutsu.

Madara saw it as it formed in a spiral of red and yellow while the sound of a constant earth shattering screech filled the air. Yugito jumped away immediately as Naruto threw the new chakra shuriken at his target. Madara's eye widened as he saw it approach but he could do nothing to avoid the attack when it came.

"Futon: Rasenkamikaze".

And so Uzugakure no Sato disappeared inside a sphere of wind and power. The ground shook as trees; boulders and the landscape were all turned into nothingness. Then suddenly it all went silent as time seemed to freeze...only for the wind ball to explode a moment later and allow time to resume as the massive blast of wind that was released left a massive crater in the middle of this scarred land.

_Sage Mode Deactivated_

_Hybrid Mode Deactivated_

Naruto and Yugito shakily stood after everything calmed down and the dust started to settle. When it cleared they could see Madara pushing himself to his feet, his mask covered in cracks and his armour was cut all over.

"Our Hybrid Modes will take a few minutes to recharge," Yugito whispered to Naruto.

The Taiken nodded slowly, "but Madara's Sage Mode will need time to recharge too. We can still win this; we just have to outlast him".

"Even so this isn't going to be easy," Yugito commented.

Madara laughed loudly at that, "oh you have no idea how right you are. You two amuse me to no end Namikaze; sadly all good things must come to an end".

"Now what?" Yugito asked as she took a step back.

"Activate demon modes! Now!" Naruto shouted as his body exploded in crimson light.

"Right," Yugito followed close behind as her body was engulfed in a fiery blaze of purple energy.

When the two lights died down they revealed a massive crimson chakra fox with nine tails and fur. The other figure was an equally massive purple fire cat with two and didn't seem to have a physical body.

"**Surrender Madara," **Naruto's voice was distorted by the dense chakra surrounding him.

"**This ends today; one way or the other,"** Yugito snarled through the roar of her flames around her.

Madara chuckled with his Sharingan spinning wildly, "you have no idea who you are dealing with do you? I am Uchiha Madara and the rightful ruler of this disgusting world".

His body exploded in gray light forcing the two to cover their eyes from being blinded; a foul and evil chakra washed over the destroyed country and almost brought the pair to their knees. When the light died down a massive gray chakra fox with _ten_ tails stood in its place and covered in fur similar to Naruto's. Its single eye looked like a cross between the Sharingan and the Rinnegan and was located in the center of the monster's head.

"**I did say I merged together the Biju other than you two; surely you must have known I would be able to **_**use**_** it like this," **Madara chuckled as he settled his gaze on the pair.

"**So much for round one," **Naruto muttered.

"**Any bright ideas?" **Yugito asked as she kept her eyes on the abomination in front of her.

"**Yeah, don't die," **Naruto answered simply.

"**Why so serious?"** Madara asked them cackling like the maniac he was.

**Author's Notes:**

(Insert: Evil Laugh)

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Taiken = Supreme Leader  
Futon: Kaze Shunpo = Wind Release: Wind Flash Step  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiraling Fist  
Raikiri = Lightning Blade  
Katon: Cho Dai Kaizuki = Fire Release: Super Big Fire Blade  
Oni-Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu = Demon Fire Release: Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique  
Kaizuki = Fire Blade  
Cho Hi no Ya = Super Arrow of Fire  
Amaterasu = Illuminating Heaven  
Cho Oodama Raikyu = Super Great Ball Lightning Ball  
Susanoo = [He] with the ability to help by all means  
Futon: Rasenshuriken = Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken  
Katon: Dai Kaizuki = Fire Release: Great Ball Fire Blade  
Katon: Rasenkaze = Fire Release: Spiraling Wind  
Raiton: Kirin = Lightning Release: Qilin (According Wikipedia this is its translation)  
Chakra Nami = Chakra Wave  
Izanagi = God of Creation  
Futon: Rasenkamikaze = Wind Release: Spiraling Devine Wind

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later...


	40. Full Circle Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter40: Full Circle Part 2

**Whirlpool Country: Uzu**

Explosions riddled the once prosperous country as the three enormous demons did battle; Uzugakure no Sato was long gone and the three had moved away from the crater that now inhabited where the village was stood. They paved a wave of destruction on the landscape as they went in an attempt to destroy each other once and for all.

The first few minutes of battle were surprising for both sides as the two Alliance leaders were able to keep up with the vastly stronger leader of Akatsuki. Despite his ungodly strength it quickly became clear that without the cores of the Kyuubi or the Nibi he wouldn't be able to reach his form's true potential.

Even so Uchiha Madara was a very formidable opponent...

He was always physically strong and dangerous; even to the most powerful of ninja in existence. Despite his old age and apparent immortality he was far from frail. He was capable of defeating entire legions of ninja without much effort, especially in his prime before he fought the Shodai Hokage. Add in the jutsu he'd copied over the years and his overall experience and he was one hell of a problem.

In all honesty he was quite possibly the strongest man alive...with Naruto and Yugito coming close seconds...

Naruto lunged forward; flattening trees as he brought both paws down to grab the gray fox. Madara reacted immediately and brought his own paws up to grab the oppressing limbs. The two grabbed hold of each other's paws and pushed, trying to get the upper hand (so to speak). Yugito jumped high into the air above them and swung her left paw down on the ten-tailed fox in hopes of injuring their opponent.

"**Hi Nami!" **she roared as the two foxes broke apart.

The wave of flames that was released incinerated the neighbouring area and Madara came to a stop at the top of the nearby mountain. One of his tails shot out and caught Yugito in the side, sending her souring through the air before crashing into the trees. She shook herself off as Naruto jumped up and brought all nine of his tails down on the Uchiha.

Madara evaded at the last second and the mountain he had stood on just moments ago was flattened by Naruto's attack. Madara barrelled around the mountain and slammed hard into the side of the crimson fox with a deafening explosion of dirt and smoke. Naruto jumped away as Yugito came from the side and slashed at the gray fox. She caught Madara in the side and forced to him to back off as she regrouped with her husband and partner.

"**You're too slow old man,"** Naruto said grinned wildly.

"**You don't scare me Namikaze!" **Madara snarled back.

"**We should!" **Naruto shot back as a black sphere of chakra started to form at his mouth.

"**We will stop you Madara!"** Yugito roared as a ball of fire formed at her mouth.

Madara's eye widened for a second before he brought his tails down in front of him; this wasn't able to stop them however as they were still able to get off their attacks

"**Kyuubiko Imari!"** Naruto let loose with an enormous beam of compressed energy at the Uchiha. It hit him dead-center and washed over him; pushing his body down the river where he finally crashed into the water below.

**Nekomata Goukakyu!"** Yugito roared as she shot the purple fireball at the where the Uchiha had crashed. It struck the water with a deafening _bang_ before exploding in a sea of crimson death which washed over the land.

All was silent until...

Madara roared as he stood once again, his fur burned and his eye ablaze with hatred.

"**Does this guy ever give up?" **Yugito asked with a hint of annoyance and fear.

"**Damn this guy just won't stay down," **Naruto growled in frustration.

Madara's roar intensified as hundreds of gray balls materialized in the air and started merging together into a familiar attack...

"**Oh crap; Naruto move it!" **Yugito shouted and the two split apart to avoid the attack they knew was coming.

"**Juubiko Imari!"**

Madara's fox face swallowed the condensed chakra and his mouth began to glow a dark crimson. He opened wide and a beam of energy enormous even by Biju standards lanced out and obliterated everything it touched. The blinding light covered the world for a full twenty seconds before finally dying down to reveal the madness that was caused.

A large valley of nothingness stretched from where the blast originated to the beach over seventy miles away; the edges of the canyon now made out of glass from being burned to such a degree. Madara chuckled at his handiwork and spotted the two Alliance leaders on the outer edges of the valley.

Naruto shakily stood; his breathing rigid and aches coursing through his body. He couldn't believe the sheer amount of force from that last attack; he felt like he had a mountain dropped on his and then thrown in a mixer of some kind. He shook his head and looked over to Yugito; she was barely maintaining her form, having already exhausted her reserves.

"**Are you alright Yugito?" **Naruto asked worriedly as he tried to calm his breathing.

"**N-no,"** the cat admitted. **"I can't hold this form any longer; we can't win like this."** Yugito's form collapsed and her human self slipped out onto the ground, "s-sorry".

"**Stay down!" ** Naruto shouted as he put his large form between the snarling Madara and her.

His tails extended out and he concentrated chakra to their tips. Forming black balls of energy as he did so; they solidified a moment later and compressed slightly. Madara's eyes widened at this and he charged formed to stop the crimson fox from finishing his attack.

Madara was too late however...

"**Taju Imari!"**

The world exploded in light as nine beams of death and destruction laid waste to the land. Madara took the brunt of it and vanished in a stream of power; mountains and forests were levelled as the attack died down. When the dust cleared the enormous gray fox which was Madara's form broke apart to allow his battered human form to fall to the lifeless ground.

_Sage Mode Reactivated_

_Hybrid Mode Reactivated_

Naruto panted as his form too collapsed and he dropped down to the ground in human form once again. His trench-coat looked like it had gone through the ringer and he had multiple cuts on his face and arms but they were healing quickly.

He steadied his breathing and looked over at where Yugito lay. She was standing now, her cloak in tatters and her hair a mess.

"You look like hell," she told her husband.

Naruto coughed slightly, "well you don't so good yourself Yugito".

"Idiot," she said and threw off her destroyed cloak.

"We're in Hybrid Mode," Naruto stated as he felt the familiar feeling the powerful form.

"It looks like our Demon Modes recharged it," Yugito nodded.

They felt a cascade of chakra stretch out from Madara's last known location and they snapped their attention to it. There he stood, covered in blood and glaring at the two intensely with his only visible doujutsu-sage mode hybrid eye.

"It looks like his Sage Mode has recharged too," Naruto said upon seeing the eye.

Yugito took a step back and growled low, "what does it take to kill this guy?"

"Oni-Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu!" a white monster dragon exploded from Madara's mask and shot towards the pair in response.

"Futon: Kaze Shunpo!" Naruto shouted as he flash-stepped away to avoid it.

"Raiton no Yoroi!" Yugito disappeared in a burst of speed and reappeared a few meters away from where the fire jutsu eventually impacted.

"You're too slow old man," Naruto taunted causing Madara to snarl at him.

A dragon-like creature of fire erupted from Yugito's mouth and descended on the Uchiha's position, "Katon: Karyudan!"

Naruto was close behind as he unleashed a massive blast of wind from his mouth, "Futon: Renkudan!"

Madara's visible eye widened as he saw the two attacks mix together to create a massive fireball with the head of a dragon.

"Katon: Renkudan!"

"Izanagi."

The collaboration jutsu struck down on Madara's position and the world became consumed by light. The earth around them was blown away, the waves of the ocean rippled from the raw power that brushed against them and what was left of the forest was reduced to a field of fire and ash.

"I'm glad to see that collaboration jutsu we came up with actually works," Yugito commented upon seeing the destruction they had brought.

"...It's not over yet Yugito, it's not over until either Madara dies or we do," Naruto told her.

Lightning began to cackle in the distance and the clouds above started to darken, most likely from the previous jutsu that was just used. Madara stood once more, this time with the last of his shoulder-mounted Sharingan closed and white flames dancing across his armour.

"Oh crap," Yugito cursed, "I can't stop him!"

"Leave this to me!" Naruto shouted back, his hands already forming various seals.

Madara jumped high into the air and held up his right hand towards the raging heavens. Wind spiralled around Naruto's form as he formed a pair of wind balls in his hands; he brought the sphere together and aimed upwards towards the last Uchiha in existence.

"Raiton: Kirin!"

"Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu!"

A large dog like monster made of lightning shot down from the sky and descended on the two young Alliance leaders. In response a massive tornado of wind exploded from Naruto's position and struck the lightning monster dead-center. The massive beast met oblivion as the tornado tore through it and engulfed Madara in a storm of fury.

It died down a moment later...

Silence reigned for a moment until...

"Raikiri!" Madara roared as he appeared behind the Raikage.

_Hybrid Mode Deactivated_

Yugito turned but even with her enhanced reflexes she was too late; Madara's lightning-covered fist went straight through her shoulder. Her lightning armour had been unable to halt the attack and was forced to power down a moment later. He pulled his arm out and kicked her away.

"Bastard!" Naruto roared at him. "Rasengan!" there was a resounded explosion as he attacked the Uchiha.

Madara reappeared a few feet away, "this is getting old Namikaze...follow me if you dare," his mask spiralled into another vortex a moment later.

Yugito struggled to sit up, "go!" Naruto looked at her for a moment, "I'll be fine! Go after him!"

Naruto nodded and jumped into the vortex in pursuit of the Akatsuki leader...

Yugito winced as she attempted to heal her arm, "well this hurts". She looks at the moon, clearly visible in the sky, "be safe idiot".

**Atmosphere: Akatsuki**

Naruto exploded from the vortex in the center of the platform and rolled across the floor. The vortex closed behind him and he looked back at it for a moment before letting out a sigh. Looking around he saw that he was in some kind of garden with plants and statues on the nearby stands, most likely on display.

"Where the hell am I?" he asked himself as he started walking.

He soon came to what he had thought was a cliff...it wasn't a cliff, I'll tell you that right now. He could barely see the ground from where he was standing; from what it looked like. He was standing on a massive platform hundreds of feet in the air above the Elemental Countries and could see some _clouds_ below him.

"Impressive isn't it?" Naruto turned swiftly at the sound of the voice. Seeing no one he heard the voice continue, "it's said that the Rikudō-Sennin created this place as the final limit of humanity. He defeated the Juubi at this very spot at the dawn of the ninja world and those that knew about it called it the door to heaven".

"Where have you brought me Madara?" Naruto asked as he started back towards the center of the platform.

"Heaven of course...well its close enough at least; the Rikudō-Sennin called it 'Akatsuki'. Fitting wouldn't you agree?" Madara's mocking voice replied.

"If this is heaven than I hate to see what hell looks like," Naruto shot back.

Madara chuckled darkly, "oh you will soon enough...how about a little reunion before then huh? After all Tobi is a good boy...why don't you take a look up?"

Naruto's head shot up and his eyes widened at what he saw. There above the platform, encased in what looked like a glass cylinder was one Uzumaki Kushina in her Kage robes once again.

"Mom!" Naruto shouted to her causing her eyes to snap open.

"Naruto!" she shouted back, banging on the prison that held her.

Madara appeared behind the blond in a swirl of orange, "this ends here Namikaze".

Naruto turned swiftly, his sword appearing in his hand, "you're damn right it does. One way or the other I'm taking you down Madara!"

**Author's Notes:**

(Insert: Evil Laugh)

One final clash; Naruto and Madara

If anyone's having trouble thinking where they are just think of that place from Dragon Ball; you know that huge platform above the clouds which that alien dude watches over everyone. Think of that only without the palace thing on it and put Kushina above it locked in a glass container (though it's obviously not made of glass since she would break out of it if that was the case).

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Taiken = Supreme Leader  
Hi Nami = Fire Wave  
Kyuubiko Imari = Nine-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball  
Nekomata Goukakyu = Forked Cat Great Fireball  
Juubiko Imari = Ten-Tailed Fox Menacing Ball  
Taju Imari = Multiple Menacing Ball  
Oni-Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu = Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique  
Futon: Kaze Shunpo = Wind Release: Wind Flash Step  
Raiton no Yoroi = Lightning Armour  
Suiton: Tsunami no Jutsu = Water Release: Harbor Wave Technique  
Futon: Renkudan = Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet  
Katon: Karyudan = Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet  
Katon: Renkudan = Fire Release: Drilling Air Bullet  
Izanagi = God of Creation  
Raiton: Kirin = Lightning Release: Qilin  
Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu = Wind Release: Divine Wind Technique  
Raikiri = Lightning Blade  
Rasengan = Spiraling Sphere  
Rikudō-Sennin = Sage of Six Paths

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later...


	41. The Moment

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter41: The Moment

**Atmosphere: Akatsuki**

There was a resounding _bang_ as Naruto struck down with his sword and Madara slid away. The blond swiped at the Uchiha but Madara evaded each strike and landed a kick to his chest, knocking him back. Madara then appeared before him in a burst of speed and connected a punch with the blonde's face.

'_Damn it, this bastard hits harder than Rikiya-dono,'_ Naruto gritted his teeth and recovered quickly from the blow.

"You think you can defeat me? Very well, defeat me and become a hero. Perhaps it will offer the sheep below some comfort!" Madara laughed as he appeared behind the blond and made to sweep the Taiken's legs out from under him.

'_Damn it,'_ Naruto thought as he back-flipped away.

"Oni-Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!" Madara as he shot a dozen white fireballs at the blond.

"Futon: Rasenken," Naruto brought up his arms to defend himself and the fireballs hit their mark. Explosions riddled the platform where he stood and he was blown out of the dust. _'Damn it, I can't get close enough to do any real damage; it's like fighting Nagato, Rikiya-dono_ and_ the four Hokages at the same time!'_ Naruto thought as he stood up once again.

"But you must never forget this! There is no solution to this chaotic world! The curtain of despair will fall one day and I will make sure it is today!" Madara shouted as black flames shot out from his eyes at blinding speed, "you too will be consumed! Amaterasu!"

"Shut the hell up!" Naruto roared as he brought two wind balls together and unleashed his own attack. "Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu!"

The two attacks connected in the center, creating a tornado of wind and black fire. Madara disappeared in a swirl of orange before he appeared behind the blond a moment later. Naruto reacted quickly but he was too slow and Madara plunged a lightning covered fist through his shoulder.

The Uchiha didn't stop and pushed the blond against one of the pillars with his arm still buried in his shoulder, "Raikiri!"

"I don't care if you tell me the whole damn world will be destroyed tomorrow," 'Naruto' began before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

'_A shadow clone?!'_ Madara's eye widened in surprise as Naruto suddenly appeared behind him.

"I'll never give up! That's what it means to be human!" the real Naruto finished as he drove a spiralling sphere of wind and power into the Uchiha's gut. "Futon: Rasengan!" he called out as the world was consumed in light.

_Sage Mode Deactivated_

_Hybrid Mode Deactivated_

When the light died down Madara's beaten body could be seen lying on the ground face up, clearly unable to move on its own. Naruto approached with his sword in his hand once again and stood over the Uchiha Founder.

"Don't you dare underestimate humanity," Naruto told him.

Madara just laughed as he looked up at the blond, "you really think you've won? Don't be a fool Namikaze".

Suddenly the visible moon above them began to glow white...

"What is that? What's going on? What's happening to the moon?" Naruto asked as he looked up at the moon.

Madara laughed again, "my ascension is at hand and there is nothing you can do about it now Namikaze".

"Impossible, you don't have the Kyuubi or the Nibi," Naruto said shaking his head frantically.

Madara just laughed, "do you really think something like that would stop me?"

"You bastard," Naruto growled backhanded the Uchiha. The blond turned away, "I'll stop you and the Juubi right now".

Madara laughed yet again at the declaration, "within minutes the Juubi will be released and I will become a god. I will rule this world and finally the Uchiha will surpass the Senju".

"This world is still worth saving!" Naruto shouted as he jumped high into the air towards the crystal floating above. He gave out a cry of desperation and sliced the Uzu no Tsurugi straight through the crystal and it shattered a moment later, freeing one Uzumaki Kushina. "Mom!" the blond shouted as he caught her and the two landed.

"Naruto," Kushina sighed in relief as he set her down. "You came for me," she stated.

"In this world there is nothing more important than family," Naruto said simply.

The redhead smiled at that, "_that_ you got from your father".

A deafening roar broke the silence and the two looked up at the sky. The moon looked like it was struggling to contain itself and large chunks of it seemed to be breaking off from the surface.

"The seal containing the Juubi is collapsing," Kushina stated.

"How do we stop it?" Naruto asked her.

"I think it's too far along to be stopped now," the Uzukage told him.

"Why so serious?" Madara asked as he appeared behind them and kicked Kushina away. Naruto turned but Madara grabbed his head before he could react, "you have meddled in my plans for the last time Namikaze; I'm going to pry the Kyuubi's power from your cold dead body".

"Get your hands off of my son!" Kushina yelled as she appeared at their side with the Uzu no Tsurugi in hand and slashed Madara across the midsection.

The Uchiha dropped Naruto as Kushina drove the sword through Madara's chest, forcing the Uchiha to slam into the ground. Madara kicked her away and tried to stand but Naruto dropped down from above and brought his knee down on the Uchiha. Madara grunted in pain as Naruto began to mercilessly pound him with fist after fist after fist.

"Naruto!" Kushina shouted and through him the Uzu no Tsurugi.

The blond caught it without looking, spun it in hand and finally brought it down on the Uchiha. The blade penetrated the orange spiral mask and suddenly the world around them went silent. A moment later the mask cracked and shattered to reveal Madara's true face. It was covered in wrinkles and his left eye was missing but other than that he looked like an older Sasuke.

Madara's arms went lifeless a moment later and Naruto pulled the sword back out. He took a step back, breathing heavy and turned to his mother. She nodded at him and Naruto threw his Uzu no Tsurugi to the side, discarding the blade.

"He's dead," Naruto sighed in exhaustion as he looked over the fallen Uchiha Founder.

They fell into silence for a moment but a deafening screech filled the air...

"The Juubi is resonating with its chakra core; we're running out of time," Kushina stated as she turned her attention back to the moon.

"The Juubi needs the chakra core in order to release the seal on the moon right? Can't we just destroy the core?" Naruto suggested.

The redhead took a moment before responding, "...maybe. But if we did that then it would destroy the Akatsuki installation _and_ the Elemental Countries below".

"Well...what if we destabilized it away from the Earth? Can't we just send it somewhere out there for it to explode?" Naruto asked gesturing towards the far off reaches of the night sky.

"...Yes that could work," Kushina nodded.

"Alright then I'll set a chakra cascade through the core and then we leave," Naruto said moving towards the Uchiha's dead body.

"I'm sorry Naruto but I can't let you do that," Kushina said, stopping him.

"Why not?" he asked her.

"Because the Juubi might be able to stabilize it once we leave," the redhead stated firmly and grabbed his shoulder.

"What are you doing mom?" Naruto asked her in surprise and fear.

"One of us needs to stay behind and manually destabilize the core. I can't let you do it," she answered sadly and threw him over the edge of the platform. "Goodbye my son," she whispered as she watched him fall.

"Mom!" Naruto shouted as he passed through the clouds and disappeared from view, not having the strength to try and get back up.

Kushina stayed still for a moment before she turned towards the Uzu no Tsurugi and approached it.

"The world is yours son; you will bring peace and order. I just hope it lasts," she whispered as she picked the blade up and walked towards Madara's body. The seal on the Uchiha's stomach lit up as she approached until she was finally standing over him. "I never give up until the end," she said with a smile and struck down on the seal.

The platform shot upwards and disappeared into the night sky. It became a bright star a moment later, illuminating the Shinobi World and everyone below looked up at the second sun in the sky. After a few seconds the light died down and the world was once again returned to a calm star filled night. The moon stopped glowing a moment later and silence reigned across the land.

**Wave Country: Great Naruto Bridge**

Naruto trekked atop Tsukino across the bridge towards Nami Town on the other side; his mind had settled over the two days since the battle with Madara had occurred and he was finally returning home to those he loved. He had landed somewhere in Grass Country on the other side of the Elemental Countries and he had been using Hiraishin no Jutsu to return home as fast as possible.

'_Wherever you are mom; I hope you and dad are together again. I'll see you again someday,'_ Naruto thought as they approached the gates of Nami Town.

"Hey it's Taiken-sama!" a villager shouted out upon seeing him riding on the horse-sized fox with five tails.

The crowd cheered as he climbed off of Tsukino...

"Go on home girl; you deserve a rest," Naruto said to the fox.

"Thank you Naruto-dono," Tsukino said before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

"Naruto!" there was a yellow and purple blur as someone tackled him to the ground. After a moment he saw it was Yugito, "you reckless idiot! Do you know how worried I was?!"

Naruto sighed and the two got up, "sorry for worrying you Yugito but in my defence I had a long way to travel". She pulled him into a kiss and after a moment they broke apart again, "am I forgiven?"

"Yes you idiot...what about Madara and the Biju?" she asked him as the other Kages approached along with the Daimyo's of the Alliance.

Naruto smiled at them and raised his hand towards the sky, "as of this moment I officially declare that the Fourth Great Shinobi War is over".

The crowd burst into cheers at that...

* * *

Later at the training grounds he used in Wave Country, Naruto stood in the center of the large clearing. He could still hear the sounds of cheers and celebration coming from the town. He smiled and turned his attention to the sky for a moment before gazing down at the memorial he had just finished creating.

_As long as humanity exists there will always be those who wish to do harm to others._

_As long as there is love there will always be hatred._

_As long as there is a growing darkness there will always be a light sworn to defend the innocent._

_As long as there is power there will always be those who wish to claim it._

_As long as there is peace there will always be conflict._

_For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction._

_Balance and chaos go hand in hand._

_What makes a hero?_

_Does saving one life define a hero?_

_Even if the savoir is someone who is drenched in blood and came from a group filled with lies?_

_I don't know the answer._

_Answers don't come easy._

_But they're not supposed too._

_War breeds pain...but I believe only those who've felt true pains in their lives are the only ones who can become true heroes._

_Dedicated to the heroes who lost their lives during the Fourth Great Shinobi War; may their spirits forever rest and finally be at peace._

The Uzu no Tsurugi flashed into Naruto's right hand and planted the sword into the pedestal at the base of the memorial. The pedestal was an exact replica of the one in the now annihilated Whirlpool Country and he had covered it in seals just like the original was. The Uzu no Tsurugi glowed red for a moment before it died down and Naruto took a step back.

"Is it done?" Yugito asked as she stepped out from behind a tree.

Naruto turned towards her and nodded, "it's over".

Yugito's bow flashed into existence a moment later and disappeared into the base of the pedestal. She smiled sadly as Naruto started towards her and came up beside her.

"Come on, we're missing the party," Yugito said holding out her hand to him.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go wild already," Naruto shot back with a grin as they walked.

"Idiot," Yugito snorted as the two disappeared from view.

Neither noticed the smiling face of a translucent Uzumaki Kushina resting on the sword in the pedestal...

**Author's Notes:**

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Taiken = Supreme Leader  
Oni-Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu = Demon Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique  
Amaterasu = Illuminating Heaven  
Futon: Kamikaze no Jutsu = Wind Release: Divine Wind Technique  
Futon: Rasenken = Wind Release: Spiraling Fist  
Futon: Rasengan = Wind Release: Spiraling Sphere  
Uzu no Tsurugi = Sword of the Whirlpool

Please Read and Review.

See Ya Later...


	42. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I own Bleach.

Exiled Whirlpool

Chapter42: Epilogue

**Fire Country: The Valley of the End**

The years passed and the Elemental Countries united following the war. Kiri joined right after Mei was reinstated as Mizukage and the Alliance Kages become the Alliance council. Konoha also joined the alliance since with Sasuke and the elders dying in their sleep (not sure how that happened) Sakura was able to stabilize the government.

Two years after the war Yugito becomes pregnant (causing Naruto a heart attack) and she gave birth to Namikaze Daisuke and Namikaze Usagi. Naruto said they should name them after Yugito's parents.

Over the next few years the age of Shinobi passed and during this time peace reigned across the land. Naruto and Yugito grew old as they saw their children's improvement. Konohamaru was made the Shichidaime Hokage upon the fourth anniversary of the end of the war and married Hanabi about a year later.

Inari married Moegi and became the Nidaime Omnikage after Naruto stepped down upon the fortieth anniversary of the end of the war.

Daisuke and Usagi grew up over the following two decades and became the new Kitsune and Neko Sennin respectively who then began training directly under Inari and Konohamaru respectively. With the academies no longer active the ninja system slowly fell apart with only certain families knew jutsu now.

In the end Naruto and Yugito had completely undone everything the Rikudō-Sennin set out to do.

And at the end of their lives they finally returned to the place where it all began...

--

Naruto and Yugito dropped down onto the rocky ground in front of what was left of the two statues. Time had been kind to them; they had very little wrinkles and their hair only seemed to have a few streaks of gray amidst the vast amount of blond.

"It hasn't changed one bit since my last fight with Sasuke," Naruto commented upon seeing the destroyed statues.

Yugito just snorted, "whatever you say idiot".

"...It's been fun," Naruto said finally.

"...Yeah it has...but like all good things they must come to an end...let's get on with it," Yugito told him with a nod.

They bit their thumbs and formed several hand-seal. A moment later the two slammed their hands into the ground and called out their jutsu.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Nibi no Nekomata!" the massive fire cat appeared in a blast of flames.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Kyuubi no Kitsune!" the equally massive fox appeared in a poof of smoke a moment later.

"**Kitten...I see it is time?"** Nibi asked her summoner.

Yugito nodded, "yes it is".

"**Well what are you waiting for boy? Hurry it up already!"** Kyuubi growled in annoyance.

"A bit impatient aren't you?" Kyuubi growled at his summoner's question. "Yeah just give me a second furball," Naruto said and put his hands into a seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," two clones popped into existence beside him.

"Here we go," Yugito muttered and breathed.

"Futon: Rasenkamikaze."

The four were consumed in a ball of wind for a good twenty seconds before it exploded, destroying the valley and reducing the entire area to a crater. When it was over the only thing remaining was a single Hiraishin kunai in the center of the crater.

_**Time Skip: 200,000 Years**_

**Japan: Tokyo**

Time passed by and wars raged for a time. Peace took over during the interludes between wars but one thing remained the same; there was always someone or something to stop the bloodshed that humanity caused. Technology progressed far and eventually humanity was able to reach the moon that hung in the night sky within their view.

"You think any of them will notice that the moon is an artificial prison?" a young blond man asked as he and his wife made their way through the quiet streets of Tokyo.

The young blond woman snorted, "not likely. They might surprise us though; I mean humans are the most unpredictable creatures in known existence".

"I suppose," the male mused. "We'll just have to wait and see won't we?"

"I'm sure we can wait a few more centuries," the woman shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey do you want to get some ramen Yugito?" the male asked.

"Do you even have to ask Naruto?" the woman shot back.

They continued walking as the sun began to rise on the horizon...

**Author's Notes:**

It's finally over; it may not be a very long epilogue but generally epilogues are only a few pages long anyways so that shouldn't be an issue. Special thanks to you my mini—I mean readers for your support and I hope to see you again soon. Oh and as for the questioned about Naruto and Yugito now being immortal...I'll leave you to figure that one out on your own.

_**Translation**_

Kitsune = Fox  
Neko = Cat  
Sennin = Sage  
Taiken = Supreme Leader  
Rikudō-Sennin = Sage of Six Paths  
Kuchiyose no Jutsu = Summoning Technique  
Futon: Rasenkamikaze = Wind Release: Spiraling Divine Wind

Please Read and Review.

P.S. I have gone back and corrected all of the mistakes I could find. There are probably more but I think I got most of them so there you go.

See Ya Later...


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